Glacial Bloom
by Dannrose
Summary: A mysterious illness sweeps through Berks children infecting all but Snotlout. With no sign of a cure Snotlout decides to head north in search of a legendary flower said to cure anything...the Glacial Bloom.
1. The Illness

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Due to uploading issues I've decided to to delete then re-upload this story to see if that helps.**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another story set in the 'Differently Similar' verse. To those reading 'Family of Fire' don't worry! I'm not abandoning that story at all.**_

 _ **For those who don't know, this particular 'verse' doesn't differ greatly from the canon one in that most of the main events are identical. The difference is that Snotlout's parents died when he was five which placed him in the care of Stoick (his uncle in this 'verse'). This caused him to grow up differently from the movie Snotlout so his character is quite different and he's one of Hiccup's main supporters rather than a rival. I did a re-write of HTTYD 1 set in this verse called 'Differently Similar' but that's everything you need to know to understand this 'verse'.**_

 _ **Now that the explanation is out the way I hope you enjoy the chapter and I own no aspect of How to Train Your Dragon.**_

* * *

 **The Illness**

An illness had swept through Berk's children over the previous few weeks and now Snotlout was about the only kid who hadn't caught it.

It was Gustav who'd caught it first and to begin with it had simply been considered a minor cold but over a few days it deteriorated into a fully-fledged fever. By then many other kids had also shown symptoms and Gothi realised that it was far more serious than a cold and so she had all affected children moved to the Great Hall and quarantined from the other children. Hiccup was the first to succumb out of the Academy teens and was immediately moved to the hall with the other kids and it wasn't long before the other riders joined him.

This left Snotlout largely responsible for their dragons because most of the adults were occupied with their sick children and trying to help the best they could. Snotlout was not allowed anywhere near the Great Hall or anyone who'd been in there in case he caught the illness too and he'd also been moved out of Stoick's home and into Gobber's hut because it was one of the few places a child with the illness hadn't been. Snotlout also hadn't seen his uncle for several days because Stoick had been with Hiccup most of the time and the chief wasn't taking the risk of somehow giving his nephew the illness himself. The rest of the adults were taking similar precautions so the teen hadn't seen many of them either which meant he didn't really know how ill Hiccup and the others were.

With Stoick otherwise occupied with a sick Hiccup, Gobber had taken it upon himself to make sure Snotlout didn't catch the illness as well. Firstly he made sure that he himself had a decent bath (that alone an incredible testament to his seriousness towards his self-given task) and then he made sure that Snotlout also scrubbed properly each and every day. He also gave the boy tasks that kept him as far away from the Great Hall and anyone that had been near the sick children as possible, most of these included things at the Academy as that was away from the main village. Snotlout was also regularly sent out to Healers Island to fetch more herbs for Gothi as any Vikings not involved with caring for the sick kids were out doing double work to make sure that there was enough food for everyone. On top of that he was the only one left who could ride a dragon well enough to make the trip to the island and back fairly quickly.

It had been many days since Gustav first caught the illness and there was little sign of any improvement in any of the kids.

* * *

Snotlout sat in the Academy arena surrounded by a group of worried dragons.

Most of them wanted to be near their riders but with the amount of people bustling about in the Great Hall looking after sick kids made that impossible. The only dragon that was in there was Toothless because everyone knew better than to keep the Night Fury away from a sick Hiccup and he wasn't that big when compared to most other dragons. The rest were stuck outside knowing something was wrong but not understanding what, Snotlout tried his best to comfort them but he was just as worried about his friends and it frustrated him how little he knew about how they were because of the extreme measures taken to keep him safe from the illness.

Gobber shuffled into the Academy and Snotlout ran over to him asking anxiously, "How are they Gobber, are Hiccup and the others any better?"

The blacksmith sighed, "I don't really know laddie. I've only been told that they need more of the same herbs. They seem to be the only things that keep this illness in check and we're running through them like crazy but there not actually curing it." Snotlout sighed, discouraged by the man's words and Gobber patted his shoulder comfortingly, "Don't worry laddie, Gothi will find something to cure them but until then we need as many of those herbs as you can carry."

Snotlout nodded and he, Hookfang and the other dragons headed out of the Academy to fetch the many satchels and baskets that had recently gathered in Gobber's hut for this purpose. When he got there he found the six Terrible Terrors that the he and the others had trained waiting for them, the Terrors and the other dragons had proven exceptionally helpful when Snotlout went to gather the herbs because they all knew what ones to get and they really sped up his gathering time while the teen's dragons helped carry as big a load as possible allowing him to bring much more back than he normally would. As quickly as he could Snotlout loaded up the dragons with empty satchels and baskets and they all headed off towards Healers Island.

* * *

In the Great Hall Stoick was at Hiccup's side trying to use a wet cloth to cool the boy's fevered brow.

All around the hall sick children were lying on blankets on the floor with more blankets placed over them as their parents went through similar motions to Stoick. Despite the many people present things were quiet as most kids took Gothi's advice and rested as much as possible and adults spoke in muted tones trying in vain to hide the worry and fear that was tangible in the air. In the centre of the hall a team of people were busy preparing the only medicine that seemed to do something as others handed the completed concoction out to those that needed a dose.

Hiccup was sleeping fitfully as Stoick continued to mop his forehead with the damp cloth and the chief ran a gentle hand through his son's hair. Toothless was right beside Hiccup on the boy's other side and the dragon would occasionally give a worried croon and nudge the Hiccup's hand. Stoick hated it when either Hiccup or Snotlout was ill like this because it wasn't something he could do anything about. It wasn't a physical assailant he could simply beat in a fight nor was it some scheme of an enemy he could counter with some sort of plan, it was something that was beyond his skill or knowledge to fix and he hated being so helpless.

Looking towards the back of the hall he saw Gothi there trying to find some sort of definite cure for the disease that had attacked their children, so far she hadn't succeeded but Stoick prayed that she would find one soon. Though no one had said it yet they were all certain that without a cure this illness would end in only one result for their children.

It was not one any of them wanted to face.

* * *

 _ **PS-So one mysterious illness and Snotlout is the only rider left standing. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update this or 'Family of Fire' soon.**_


	2. A Hopeful Tale

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and here is chapter two where the story really begins. There are a couple of place names in here that I took from the Dragons:Riders of Berk graphic novels published by Titan Comics so they're not my original creations. Thank you for support of this story so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **A Hopeful Tale**

Silence reigned as Snotlout and Hookfang flew to Healers Island followed by a gang of dragons.

As soon as they landed the Terrible Terrors separated and began searching for the right herbs with no prompting, they were all used to the drill by now but Snotlout noticed that it was taking the little dragons longer and longer to locate all the necessary herbs. Normally the herbs they needed were easily found on the island but Berk was now using so many so quickly that what had once been highly common plants were now much rarer. This meant that the Terrors were having to look harder and further to find any and Snotlout was glad of their help as it would have taken him ages to find enough on his own.

As he scoured the island himself he heard the other dragons also start searching as best as they could, occasionally one of the Terrors would come scurrying back carrying a clump of herbs in their mouth to deposit in one of the satchels before scurrying off to find more. Snotlout searched with little success until a sudden excited roar sounded, hurrying over to the source of the sound he found Meatlug wagging her stubby tail excitedly and she gave a happy growl and gestured with her head. The Gronkle had found a small glade they'd somehow overlooked full of the herbs they wanted and Snotlout patted the dragon on the head, "Nice one Meatlug, this is just what we needed!" He gave a short Terror call and the six little dragons quickly appeared, all it took was a single gesture to the glade and the Terrors began picking the plants and depositing them near Snotlout to place in the satchels. Eventually the clearing was stripped clean and the satchels were all full so the group all took off to return to Berk.

* * *

The flight back was as quiet as the flight out as Snotlout's thoughts remained on the others.

Like many times before he found himself wishing he could do more to help them. He understood that fetching the herbs was a big help for Gothi and the village but as Gobber had said the herbs weren't curing the disease just lessening its effects, he lacked a healer's skill to make a cure himself and everyone was so determined to keep him away from the illness he couldn't even help look after Hiccup and his friends making him feel frustrated. He sighed, "This sucks Hookfang. Isn't there anything more we can do to help?"

The Nightmare gave a sad rumble and silence fell again as Berk came into view. As they approached the village Snotlout noticed a familiar vessel tied up at Berk's docks and he gave another sigh, "A bad time for Trader Johan to turn up, he probably won't stay long."

Landing in the village square they met Gobber as he hurried up to meet them with Johan himself following, "Nice work Snotlout. This should keep them going for a while, maybe even long enough to find a cure."

Snotlout gave a half-hearted smile at the blacksmith's hopeful words before he began unloading the satchels from the dragons, as he did so Johan gave him a sympathetic look, "It's a terrible thing that's 'appened to Berk Master Snotlout, Gobber was just telling me about the illness and asking me if I'd ever come across it on my travels."

Snotlout looked round at the trader hopefully, "Have you?"

Johan shook his head sadly, "Sad to say I 'ave not. I've seen many things on my travels but not an illness like this one."

Hope dashed Snotlout looked away again in disappointment, "Oh, okay."

As Gobber began taking the herbs up towards the Great Hall Johan noticed the affect his words had had on the boy and he tried to cheer him up, "Don't let that despair you Master Snotlout, I'm sure your healer Gothi will find a cure for your young friends." Johan then looked thoughtful, "You know this reminds me of a story one of the peoples from the north told me once, his village had been plagued by a terrible illness many years ago but they managed to cure it."

Usually Snotlout would tune Johan out when he started on one of his tales but this one caught his interest, "How did they cure it?"

Having an attentive audience caused the trader to warm to his tale, "Well young one, a group of their best warriors headed even further north beyond what they called the Ice Needles to the lands that they say never see a single summer. From there they went through many trials such as the Labyrinth of Lost Souls where they had to…"

Knowing that the trader was going to waffle on, Snotlout tried to hurry his tale along, "Why did they head further north, how was that going to help them find a cure?"

Not that bothered by the interruption Johan answered, "Well they were actually looking for a flower that's said to only grow in a certain place deep within the Ice Wastes. They called it a Glacial Bloom and they wanted to use it to cure their village."

"But how did they know the flower would work?"

"Because Master Snotlout, they believed that when a Glacial Bloom is boiled in fresh water it made a medicine that could cure anything. When the warriors brought many of these flowers back and did this they found that it did indeed make a cure-all. When I asked the northerner who told me this if his village had any of these flowers he said they didn't. According to him the plants wouldn't grow anywhere else other than their original home, no matter how 'ard they tried the flowers just wouldn't grow and so the Glacial Bloom passed into legend, even in the very village it had saved." Johan smiled reassuringly, "So don't worry Master Snotlout, this illness plaguing Berk can be cured and I'm sure Gothi will find out how to do it."

Johan took his leave and Snotlout stood where he was thoughtfully before he muttered to himself, "You know what Johan, I think you're right. This illness can be cured and I think I know how." He looked at Hookfang before hurrying off to begin preparations.

* * *

It was long gone midnight and the village was still until Snotlout snuck out of Gobber's hut and hurried to the Academy. He hadn't told anyone about his plan knowing that they would only stop him and although he felt slightly guilty about vanishing like this with things as they were he reminded himself that he was doing this to help Hiccup and the rest of the village.

Hookfang was already there waiting for him and Snotlout patted his friend before starting to load the dragon up with the many empty satchels that he'd smuggled into the Academy earlier that day. He also pulled out of hiding a couple of large, loaded haversacks and rechecked their contents, "Right we have food, water, several layers of warm clothing, a lantern, knife, some rope, some strong twine for making a fishing line...Yep I think that's everything."

A sudden noise from behind him caused him to whirl around fearing that he'd been discovered and it was Gobber trying to stop him, instead he was met with the teen's six Terrible Terrors staring at him. Sighing in relief he tried to shoo the dragons away, "What are you guys doing here? C'mon go away!"

Sharpshot took a step towards him and stared up at him and Snotlout realised what they wanted, "No, You're not coming with me!"

The Terror gave him a look scarily similar to Hiccup's and after staring back stubbornly for a bit the boy relented and growled in annoyance, "Okay fine you guys can come."

Sharpshot chirped in satisfaction and he gave a few growls to the other Terrors who then took to the air showing they were ready to leave. Snotlout mounted Hookfang and the dragon also took to the air and flew out of the Academy followed by a formation of Terrible Terrors. They cut through the sky and wheeled over Berk before turning their fight towards the north and the hope of finding a special flower that could cure Berk's children.

The Glacial Bloom.

* * *

 _ **PS-So Snotlout's quest begins. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	3. The Quest's Discovery

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to the third chapter of this story. I've deleated then reposted this chapter because I'm not convinced it updated properly so I'm reuploading it, aplogies if you've already read this chapter and thought it was a new one. This one is largely back with Stoick as he finds out what Snotlout has done. Thank you for your continued support of this fic and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **The Quest's Discovery**

None of the children had improved and the medicine they had seemed to be getting less and less effective.

Stoick sat by Hiccup's side continuing the endless task of cooling his son's brow but he was beginning to feel that it also wasn't doing anything. Hiccup mostly slept and only really woke up to eat, even then he wasn't that aware of what was around him except for his father and Toothless. Last time he woke the boy had asked about Snotlout and Stoick explained that the younger teen hadn't caught the illness yet so they were keeping him away from everyone who had to prevent him from doing so, Hiccup managed a smile and a 'That's good.' before he drifted off to sleep again.

The worried hush that blanketed the hall was suddenly broken when Gobber burst through the doors waving a piece of parchment, "Stoick!"

Stoick's first thought was that Snotlout had finally caught the illness as well and he stood up worridly as Gobber hurried over, "What is it Gobber!? What's happened?"

Gobber thrust the parchment into Stoick's hands, "I found this down in the forge this morning. You need to read it."

The message on the parchment was barely readable for most people due to being written in a messy scrawl with a great many spelling mistakes and appalling grammar, Stoick however instantly recognised it as being written by Snotlout and he was one of the few that could read his nephew's writing.

 _Gobber_

 _I'm going north with Hookfang to find the cure-all flower the Glacial Bloom. I'm sorry I left without telling anyone but I know you would have tried to stop me. Tell Uncle Stoick that I will come back with enough of the flowers to cure Hiccup and all the other kids._

 _See you soon._

 _Snotlout_

Stoick looked up at his friend in alarm, "He's definitely gone already?"

Gobber nodded, "Aye, Hookfang's not in his pen and most of the satchels we've been using to gather the herbs have gone missing, he must have taken them with him."

Stoick's first thought was to get Thornado and head out after his nephew but he instantly remembered Hiccup and faltered. He desperately wanted to bring Snotlout back to Berk, the north was a dangerous place and became nothing but a frozen wasteland beyond the Ice Needles. Before that was the treacherous area of cold, rocky islands that held the different hideouts of the pirate crews that would come south to plunder Viking ships before vanishing north again, even with Hookfang it was risky at best for a teenager to travel through those waters and the chances of something happening to Snotlout were high to the point of certainty. On the other hand Hiccup also needed him as he battled with the very illness Snotlout was trying to cure, Stoick couldn't leave his son now and the rest of Berk needed their chief to help them through this plague as well. He was torn between his two boys both of which he was certain needed his help desperately, he found himself in an impossible situation where he couldn't see a choice that didn't risk him losing at least one of the two boys.

Gobber placed a hand on Stoick's shoulder, "You stay here Stoick. I'll go after Snotlout."

"But Gobber…"

The blacksmith continued determinedly, "You need to stay here with Hiccup and the village, they all need you right now. I'll track Snotlout down and bring him back here, you know I've largely been looking after Thornado for you recently so I can follow the boy using him. You focus on Hiccup and Berk, I promise I'll do everything to get Snotlout back here safely or my name's not Gobber."

Stoick wrestled with the idea for a moment before deciding that Gobber's idea was the best one they had and he nodded solomnly, "Bring him back Gobber."

Gobber gave a determined nod in answer and hurried off to gather what he needed and fetch Thornado. Stoick sat heavily down beside Hiccup again and Toothless gave a comforting growl like he'd understood what had happened, as he began once again cooling Hiccup's brow he muttered a quiet prayer for his nephew, "Please bring him home safely."

* * *

Hookfang had pushed himself hard all night and into the morning knowing that they couldn't afford to waste time. By the time noon came he finally had to rest and they landed on a bare hump of rock sticking out of the ocean.

Snotlout got off the dragon and stretched to try and remove some of his stiffness before rummaging through one of the full haversacks, he pulled out a small loaf of bread and a piece of salted meat and began munching on his small meal. Normally he'd want a lot more but he knew better than to demolish all his rations quickly, especially when he didn't know how long he'd be travelling for.

As he ate he planned the next part of his journey. In all honesty he wasn't actually sure where his destination was since he'd hurried Johann through his tale, he did know that he had to go beyond the Ice Needles and to some sort of labyrinth and onto the Ice Wastes but beyond that he didn't have a clue. He'd heard people mention the Ice Needles before and he knew where they were since Gobber had told him that during one of his stories he used to tell him and Hiccup, the labyrinth was more difficult but Johann had made it sound like it was fairly close to the Needles so it would hopefully be easy to find and then it was the Ice Wastes. After that was the real issue was that the Ice Wastes were said to be vast but he reasoned that the Glacial Bloom must be found very close to the labyrinth since if it was further away in an open space there would be no need to go through the labyrinth in the first place. On top of that it was probably the only flower that grew in ice and freezing cold so any flower he found in the Ice Wastes was going to be the right one meaning he didn't have to worry about bringing the wrong one back.

Before any of that though he had to travel through the northern waters where the pirates hid their loot they plundered from further south in their strongholds and few other ships that travelled there escaped them. However he was flying on Hookfang and as long as they kept to islands that were definitely uninhabited when they landed he felt that they could slip through unhindered.

As he'd sat and ate the Terrible Terrors had been busy fishing for themselves and Hookfang. They had a lot of energy still because they were small enough to rest on Hookfang mid-flight and they'd done so in shifts during the night, they gathered a large pile of fish and soon the dragons were eating away. Once the pile was gone Hookfang got up and stretched his wings to indicate he was ready to fly again, Snolout polished off the last of his lunch and re-mounted his dragon and they were soon back in the air pushing on northwards.

* * *

 _ **PS-So Stoick knows and Gobber is in pursuit. Please let me know what you thought and I'll try and update soon.**_


	4. A Hitch in the Plan

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to the fourth chapter. Once again I've been forced to delete then reupload this chapter because it doesn't seem to be updating properly, hopefully this will be the last time. Snotlout continues on with his quest and this chapter largely focuses on him. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **A Hitch in the Plan**

It had been two days since Snotlout had run off in search of the Glacial Bloom with Gobber in pursuit and Stoick had been in a constant state of worry.

Hiccup hadn't got any better and neither had any of the children, the chief kept telling himself that they at least hadn't got any worse but it was proving to be of little comfort. Gobber also hadn't returned with Snotlout and Stoick kept thinking about all the things that could have happened to his nephew and had to constantly remind himself why he hadn't gone after the boy himself. He wasn't accustomed to simply sitting around waiting for news as he much preferred to go out searching himself but Gobber had been right in saying that Hiccup and Berk needed him to stay, he was the chief and he couldn't leave the village while it faced the crises it did.

Hiccup shuffled around a bit and Stoick looked down to see him slowly open his eyes, he ran a hand through his son's hair and smiled at him comfortingly. Hiccup returned it weakly, "Dad."

"Hiccup."

The boy shut his eyes again briefly and Stoick thought he'd drifted off to sleep again but he then reopened them and spoke, the words obviously more of an effort to get out than usual, "Don't need…to…worry about Snotlout."

Stoick's eyes widened in surprise, "What do you mean Hiccup?"

The boy grinned, "Heard you an' Gobber talking…Snotlout will…bring the flower…back…you'll…see."

Hiccup's eyes closed once more as he fell asleep again and Stoick pondered his son's words, Hiccup had heard what Snotlout was trying to do and he had faith his cousin would do it. A part of Stoick wanted to have as much faith as his son did but he knew the odds were against Snotlout and this cold reality smothered his own faith.

He continued to care for his son as he thought of his nephew.

* * *

Snotlout had made good progress over the last two days and nothing had happened to hinder his progress.

Hookfang had kept pushing himself to his limits in order to cover as much distance as possible and although he was tired he still kept pressing on and Snotlout was proud of his dragon. However he knew Hookfang couldn't keep going like this so they decided to halt earlier and rest for a whole night before continuing on, if Hookfang overexerted himself they'd never find the Glacial Bloom and get it back to Berk.

They found a small rocky isle that was fairly bare except for one or two very hardy trees, it looked uninhabited so they landed roughly in its centre where there was a natural dip in the isle's landscape. Snotlout dismounted Hookfang before slipping off one of his gloves to give the Nightmare a well-deserved scratch under the chin, it had gotten noticeably colder as they'd travelled, especially in the air, and Snotlout had put on some of his winter clothing. Hookfang gave a pleased growl at the attention before settling down to rest, the Terrible Terrors scurried off to fish for themselves and Hookfang and Snotlout set about gathering what dry wood he could find to make a fire. He managed to find enough wood and once he'd built it Sharpshot lit it while he delivered the first batch of fish to Hookfang, to save his own supplies Snotlout took some of the fish the Terrors caught and began roasting them before tucking in heartily as the dragons also ate.

Once he'd finished he leaned back against Hookfang's side and felt his eyes start to close, although the Nightmare had done most of the actual travelling Snotlout couldn't actually sleep while the dragon was in the air so he was really tired himself. He turned on his side and felt Hookfang curl around and cover him with a wing to block out the night's chill, his thoughts returned again to Berk and the sick children and he quietly spoke to Hookfang, "Do you think everyone on Berk is managing to hold on?"

The dragon gave a soft rumble and Snotlout smiled, "Of course they are, they'll be there ready for the cure when we bring it back. There's no way they can't be." He snuggled into the Nightmare's side and let his eyes close, "Goodnight Hookfang."

Hookfang gave another soft rumble and placed his head on the ground to sleep while the Terrors all curled up together and Sharpshot remained awake on watch.

* * *

As the first light of dawn appeared Snotlout found himself being prodded awake by one of the Terrors, he stretched and yawned before looking down at the purple dragon, "What is it Pain?"

The dragon gave a series of chirping growls and Snotlout saw the other Terrors were also awake and very much on the alert. Snotlout realised that they must have sensed something was wrong and he stayed silent and strained his ears to see if he could hear anything. Only silence greeted him but still the Terrors wouldn't settle, he gave a low whistle and gestured at Pain and the purple Terror flew to perch on his shoulder. Since Hookfang was still sound asleep because of his exhaustion from flying Snotlout gave the 'wait here' sign all the Terrors had been taught to recognise and began treading carefully away from the camp to find out what they had sensed.

He moved slowly and tried to use the rocks for cover as he searched and he carried on this way for a long time, eventually he felt Pain suddenly tense even more on his shoulder and he knew he was getting close to what was bothering the dragons. Peering over a mass of rocks he found himself looking down at the isle's rocky shore, a ship was at anchor and a couple of men were standing by several small boats they must have used to come ashore. Snotlout didn't recognise the crest on the ship's sail and he was certain that it must be a pirate crew, he realised that there must be more men on the island and he knew they had to leave immediately. He hurried back the way he came trying to keep as quiet as he could to remain undiscovered but when he reached the camp he found it empty of dragons.

Before he could even try and find them he was roughly grabbed from behind, as he gave a surprised yelp Pain shot off his shoulder with a snarl and bit the man holding him hard. The man howled in pain and Snotlout broke free from his grip and began to run but another two men pounced on him, shoved him to the ground and held him there. He struggled wildly in their grip but he stopped as another man approached. He looked up and guessed this was the captain, he wore finer clothes than the other men who'd gathered around them and he carried an ornately decorated mace. He was clean shaven and was of average size but was obviously well muscled and in good fitness, he crouched down and smiled at Snotlout, "I knew when we caught that dragon loaded with all those bags someone else was here but I wasn't expecting a child."

Snotlout didn't answer but his mind was whirling, going by what had been said they already had Hookfang so a dragon call was not going to be much help. He wondered if they'd caught the other Terrors as well or if they'd managed to escape, the captain spoke again interrupting Snotlout's thoughts, "I suppose that explains why there was little of great value in those haversacks of yours and it looks like you have very little of worth on you as well. Still we'll take it anyway." He stood and spoke to the two holding Snotlout down, "We'll put the dragon in the arena as a challenge for our fighters, strip the boy of anything that might be valuable and kill him."

Snotlout's eyes widened in fear and he quickly said the only thing that might keep him alive, "WAIT! If you do that you'll miss out on a huge ransom!"

The captain had turned away from him but he turned back at those words, "What do you mean by that?"

Snotlout quickly explained, "My name is Snotlout Jorgenson and my uncle is Stoick the Vast, Chief of Berk. He'd give a lot to get me back safely."

The man gave a short laugh, "You're just saying that to stay alive. Why would a child who was related to the chief of Berk be this far away from home by himself?"

"I ran away from Berk because I wanted to go on an adventure." Snotlout half-lied, "If you look in one of the haversacks you'll find a knife my uncle gave to me, it's got my name and Stoick's chief seal engraved on it which will prove I'm not lying." The captain signalled one of his men to look for the knife as Snotlout continued, "There's probably a load of men from Berk out looking for me right now."

The man hurried back and handed over the knife and the captain examined it before crouching back down in front of his captive, "Well boy it looks like you're telling the truth, you've just given me and men a chance to get very rich. Just hope your uncle pays up or you'll end up very much dead." The captain stood again and toyed with Snotlout's knife thoughtfully, "You know, we've never actually raided Berk before. I'm quite looking forward to finding out what treasures they've managed to hold onto all this time, they must have quite a lot." He spoke commandingly to his men, "We'll take our bargaining chip back to our hide out. Prepare the boy for the journey."

Several of the men nodded and Snotlout found himself being roughly turned onto his side, a couple of them came over with a pole as another followed behind with two long lengths of rope. The pole was placed on the floor in front of him and his feet were placed either side of its centre, taking one of the ropes it was skilfully wrapped around and between his ankles and the pole tightly binding his feet to it, they next took his hands and placed them by his feet and skilfully bound those to the pole as well. With Snotlout bound, two of the pirates picked up the pole and carried it lengthways causing the teen to hang awkwardly from his bound hands and feet.

As they travelled he saw several men lugging a large net on a wooden cart and Snotlout knew that Hookfang was in there but he couldn't see how the dragon was. He looked around to see what had happened to Pain after he'd been captured, he saw the man that had first grabbed him walking along nursing a serious bite wound from the Terror and he gave a small smile of satisfaction at the damage the little dragon had caused. As far as he could tell, Pain had managed to escape while the pirates were all distracted by their teenage captive and none of the other Terrors seemed to have been caught as well, unfortunately he wasn't sure how much they could do to help him and despite what he'd said he was pretty certain that not many people from Berk were out searching for him because of what was happening. Even if they were he was two days' worth of flight ahead of them and there was no way a ship would reach where he was anytime soon.

As they reached the shore the ship had been anchored off Snotlout gulped wondering how he was going to get himself out of the situation he'd ended up in.

* * *

 _ **PS-So Snotlout's quest has hit a snag and the riders can't help him out this time. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	5. Voyage

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one is once again focused on Snotlout but we see how Gobber is doing near the end. Thank you for your continued support of this fic and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Voyage**

The one good thing Snotlout found with his situation was that the pirates who'd captured him were heading further north so at least they were taking him the right way, unfortunately that was about the only thing that was good about his current position.

When they'd brought him aboard their ship they'd untied him from the pole they were carrying him on, while Snotlout was glad to get out of his awkward position they'd only done it to bind him a different way. Now his hands were tied behind him and a heavy length of rope was wrapped around his torso, pining his arms to his sides. More rope was wrapped around his ankles with its ends wrapped around the coils themselves further securing it, the same thing had been done just above and below his knees immobilising his legs. He'd tested his bonds and found them to be pretty secure so there was no way he was getting out of them without some help. As such he sat quietly and tried to keep an eye out for a chance of escape.

Somehow the pirates had managed to wrestle Hookfang from the net entrapping him and pinned the dragon to the deck. The Nightmare had been tightly muzzled and heavy chains held him down, Hookfang had spotted his rider tied up and he'd struggled viciously against his restraints but not even his fire coat did anything to the bonds holding him down. Snotlout had called to his dragon to say he was okay but one of the pirates snarled at him to be quiet, they briefly held a knife to the boy's throat threateningly and Hookfang instantly settled down to protect his rider. With their prisoners secure the pirates set sail for their hideout in the northern waters.

As they sailed Snoutlout was largely ignored by the crew except for one older man who'd been assigned to look after him. The man was grey haired and while not frail he was obviously not suited for raids and battle, from what Snotlout observed it seemed the man acted as the crew's healer and was responsible for much of the cooking required. Twice a day this man would approach the boy with a bowl of soup and spoon feed it to him so he didn't have to be untied, the man was surprisingly gentle as he did this and Snotlout wondered if maybe he was a captive himself. He never said anything except one time when he'd brought Snotlout some water (as he regularly did) and the teen tried to drink it too quickly and briefly choked, he'd lightly chided the boy and warned him not to try and drink so quickly and proceeded to only let Snotlout drink the water a little at a time.

* * *

About two days into their voyage it got much colder, the ship had no cabin so Snotlout was propped against the mast in the middle of the deck. His gloves had been removed and he couldn't put on any of his extra winter layers causing him to rapidly feel the cold since he couldn't move about to warm himself. As his captors simply put on warmer layers themselves they didn't notice him shivering with cold, when the old man came with the bowl of soup as usual he stopped when he saw how cold Snotlout was becoming. He shook his grey head and muttered darkly, "This won't do at all. How can they expect to get a ransom if they let the poor boy freeze to death?"

He shuffled off towards where the captain was in the stern and had a brief conversation with him, when he had finished he bowed his head in thanks and shuffled over to where the cargo was being stored. In a short time he came back loaded with several blankets and followed by one of the crew, the crewman knelt down beside Snotlout and held him away from where he was propped against the mast as the old man began carefully wrapping the blankets around the boy's body. When he'd wrapped first one around he briefly rubbed Snotlout's arms and the boy felt himself warm up, the man then continued to wrap more blankets around him until Snotlout felt a lot warmer than he had done. When the man had finished Snotlout was placed back against the mast and the crewman sauntered off as the elderly man vanished again. He quickly reappeared with the soup bowl and as he knelt down to start feeding him Snotlout spoke quietly, "Thanks."

The man looked surprised that he'd spoken then he responded, "It's my job to keep you alive through this voyage, you're no use to these men dead."

He said no more as he began to feed the boy while the ship continued on its journey.

* * *

Gobber and Thornado had also pushed themselves over the last couple of days.

Gobber had hoped to catch up with Snotlout quickly but it seemed that the boy had been travelling faster than he'd anticipated and he'd been searching longer than he liked. Thornado seemed to understand the urgency of the situation and had basically kept flying until his strength had run out forcing him to rest.

They were now on the edge of the dangerous waters that the pirates retreated to and Gobber wished he'd found Snotlout before he reached this area. They now had to be more careful even though Thornado was flying and they were cautious in their approach to any of the islands in this area. Since they didn't know where Snotlout had chosen to stop they had to search each island they came across, mostly they saw no signs of anyone and moved on quickly but occasionally they came across a large island that required a longer search.

Eventually they came across a small, almost bare rocky isle and they were initially going to go on past when Gobber noticed a likely camp site. Thornado swooped down and landed in the small dip in the isle and Gobber found the remains of Snotlout's campfire, examining it with an experienced eye he spoke his thoughts to the Thunderdrum, "Whoever built this was here about a day ago but the ground is all solid rock so there's nothing else to indicate who built it. Going by its size it must have been one person so I'm willing to bet it was Snotlout." He looked at Thornado, "He's about a day's flight ahead of us so we need to push it if we're going to catch up with him. If we keep flying through the night we're going to gain ground on him as he rests for the night, are ye up for it?"

Thornado growled in response and Gobber patted the dragon's head, "Good lad," He remounted the Thunderdrum, "Now let's get after them."

Thornado took to the air and continued northward, as they flew Gobber spotted a ship beneath them heading the same direction and he spoke to Thornado, "Watch it lad that must be a pirate ship below us. I know we're pretty high up but let's take a slight detour to stop them from noticing us."

Thornado rumbled in agreement and adjusted his course to take them slightly eastward and around the ship and soon it began vanishing into the distance behind them. Had Gobber flown closer he would've spotted a familiar dragon chained to the deck and possibly the very boy he was searching for sitting bound and propped against the mast.

* * *

 _ **PS-So Snotlout may have a sort of friend/ally in his captivity. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	6. Time Against Them

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to the next chapter. Apologies for the slightly longer wait for this one but I let myself get distracted by other things. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Time Against Them**

It was five days before the pirate ship reached its destination but Snotlout didn't have a clue where it was.

The old man that had been looking after him approached him the morning of the fifth day and spoke almost apologetically, "The captain has ordered this to make sure you can't tell your uncle where to find us." With those few words the man knelt down and bound a thick cloth around Snotlout's eyes which created an effective blindfold. Once he'd finished the man spoke again, "You won't be getting any food today until we arrive at the hide out so just sit tight until then, you'll probably be hungry for a while."

After these words Snotlout heard the man shuffle away again leaving him alone, robbed of his sight the boy listened hard to what was happening around him but he heard little beyond the normal sounds of the men sailing the vessel. In a way he was glad to hear they were finally reaching their destination since he hoped that meant they would untie his bonds even for a short while, his wrists were rubbed raw from the rope and it had dug painfully into him for the last four days so he was looking forward to maybe having them loosened.

The captain's voice sounded close by and Snotlout listened in as he spoke to what sounded like another crewman, "Once we've arrived we'll see about getting word to the boy's uncle to tell him we've got him hostage."

"Are you sure that's a good idea captain?" The voice of the crewman asked worriedly, "We've both heard that Berk has somehow tamed dragons and the fact the boy was with one would confirm it. What if Stoick comes after us with a force of dragons?"

The captain scoffed, "I've heard about Stoick the Vast and if he has a weakness it's the fact he cares too much. Even if he does have dragons he'll not risk his nephew by sending them to attack us, besides no-one but us ever comes this far north and our base is well concealed so even if they do they'll never find it."

The crewman's voice was still laced with worry but he agreed with his captain, "Of course Captain. When we land I'll take one of the smaller vessels back south to pass news of the boy's capture to Berk and to outline the ransom you want."

The captain spoke, his voice sounding pleased, "Good." He then hummed thoughtfully, "How much do you think a chief's nephew is worth? I'll have to think about that one before sending you to Berk. We mustn't short-change ourselves after all."

Snotlout heard the captain's laughter die away and he sagged slightly at what he'd heard. He knew he had to find a way out of this predicament and fast.

* * *

Snotlout sat bound and blindfolded for some time before he heard activity on the ship begin to increase.

Recognising the sounds he guessed they were finally coming into dock wherever the pirates had put their hideout and he listened intently for any clue of where they actually were. Unfortunately he couldn't decipher anything from the general hubbub of the crew and he was none the wiser on their location. He felt the motions of the ship gently bumping into a dock as he heard men call to each other to tie the mooring ropes and other such things and soon he heard the sounds of people disembarking.

He was left where he was for a while and he'd begun to think they'd forgotten about him when he heard heavy footsteps approach, he gave a small cry of surprise when he suddenly found himself being hoisted in the air and unceremoniously flung over a hefty shoulder. He caught snatches of different conversations and sounds as he was carried along for some time before found himself being lowered once more, the person who'd carried him held him upright and he felt his blindfold loosen and be roughly pulled off. Though it was only dim torchlight he rapidly blinked at the sudden brightness and it took him a while to see he was in some sort of small cavern lined with cages. Just as he realised that he'd been untied the man holding him pushed him forward and he landed hard on a cold metal floor in one of the cages. The door clanged behind him and a key clicked in the lock telling him he was locked in, sitting up he saw two men leave the cavern and he took stock of his situation.

Though he was now thankfully untied he was no less a captive, it only took a glance to tell him the cage he was in was built with strong bars and was unlikely to break. It was small which kept him from standing and there wasn't much room for him to move about in it. Crawling over to the door he found it was constructed from the same strong bars as the rest of the cage and since he had no idea how to pick a lock he knew that he couldn't open it without a key.

Sighing in frustration he crawled back from the door and leaned against the back of the cage. His situation wasn't that much better than it had been on the ship and he was very much aware that the longer he spent a prisoner the less time Hiccup and the others had. He needed to find the Glacial Bloom quickly but him and Hookfang being imprisoned like this made it less and less likely to happen.

He stared at the cage door miserably trying desperately to come up with a plan of escape.

* * *

On Berk the situation hadn't improved at all over the last five days. The medicine they had was getting less and less effective and the herbs they needed were getting rarer and rarer.

By now everyone knew about Snotlout's reckless quest and desperate parents were starting to frantically hope that the story was true and that he'd return with the legendary flower. Gothi had retreated into isolation in an attempt to divine some sort of answer to the plague as her medicinal skills were failing her and Stoick was using all his strength to remain strong for his people despite his agonising worry.

He'd been sure that Gobber would have returned in a couple of days with Snotlout but now he was beginning to fear that it was already too late for the boy and his lack of knowledge burned at him. Most of the children were waking up less and less and their parents were now refusing to leave their sides, Johan had nobly stayed on Berk and was using his ship to fetch large cargos of herbs from Healers Island but his cargos were getting smaller and smaller. As each day went by hope diminished and what little was left was brutally struck by a sudden turn in the illness.

* * *

Stoick had been looking after Hiccup like he had been for days when frantic shouts cut through the despairing atmosphere, "Gustav!? GUSTAV!"

Stoick instantly hurried over to the source of the shouts and found Mrs Larson frantically calling her son's name while gently shaking him, Gustav was deathly still and Stoick feared the worst had happened when he wasn't responding to his mother's calls and shakes. The crowd that had gathered rapidly parted to let through Gothi who Mulch had run to fetch, the elder quickly hobbled over to the boy's side and began examining him as fast as she could. She paled as she finished her examination and she hurriedly began scrawling in a pile of dirt someone had thrown on the floor for her, Mulch read her finished scrawl and he also paled before translating haltingly, "She says…he's alive but…he's in a deep faint and without a cure he'll stay this way until…until…" He looked down sadly, "until he dies."

Vikings gasped in horror and Gustav's mother clapped her hands to her mouth as tears came to her eyes, other parents quickly hurried to their children and made sure they were still responsive as Gothi shuffled away again more determined than ever to find a cure. Mulch placed a comforting arm around Mrs Larson's shoulders and Stoick also hurried back to Hiccup's side and gently shook him, "Hiccup?"

There was a long moment before Hiccup slowly opened his eyes, "Dad…is everything…alright?"

Stoick nodded, "Aye son, just rest."

Hiccup's eyes closed again, "O…kay."

As his son went back to sleep Stoick began praying to whoever was listening that a cure would be found soon for the sake of all the children of Berk.

They were rapidly running out of time.

* * *

 _ **PS-So things are getting worse on Berk and Snotlout needs to escape soon. Please let me know what you thought and I'll try to update soon.**_


	7. A Terrible Escape

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter of this story. Again this one really focuses on Snotlout but it is really a very Snotlout centric fic, thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **A Terrible Escape**

Snotlout didn't know how long he'd been stuck in the cage.

He'd been given food by the same elderly man a few times so he guessed at least a couple of days but he had no idea if he was right or not. He was largely left alone but occasionally a pirate or two would wander through the area his cage was in but they rarely spared him a glance, the captain had been by a couple of times but the man had rarely said anything and only seemed to be checking that his hostage was still alive. Snotlout had tried asking what had happened to Hookfang but he got no answer so he had no idea how his dragon friend was doing or where they were keeping him.

When he wasn't thinking about Berk or trying to escape the cage his thoughts went to the Terrible Terrors. They hadn't been caught along with him and Hookfang and he wondered where they had gone, it was likely that they'd headed back towards Berk since that was their home and their automatic destination in absence of anything else. Unfortunately they wouldn't be much help there since they couldn't tell anyone what had happened and Berk couldn't really afford to send anyone to rescue him anyway at the moment. Even if they did he was several days' worth of sailing through hostile waters away and they probably couldn't find where he'd been taken to since Snotlout himself didn't know.

The boy sighed, either way the ransom message was on its way to Berk already which was a whole new problem seeing as Berk didn't have much in the way of riches at all. Even without dragon raids Berk was largely subsistent and what they grew, farmed and fished for went towards feeding the village, if they had surplus it could be traded with people like Johan but they'd never really had anything like gold, silver or precious gems. There was the odd valuable piece here or there but most items were practical and anything decorative was mostly made from wood or metal so they didn't have any valuables like the pirates would want. This meant that there was no way they could produce the ransom the captain was going to ask for and he'd gathered from snippets of conversation caught as people wandered past his cage that they were expecting a lot in the way of precious valuables, as far as he understood it the pirates believed that Berk had a massive stockpile of treasure taken from the dragons. That in itself was ridiculous since most Vikings knew that dragons didn't hoard treasure like they did in stories but it seemed these men and their captain believed they did and Berk now has the hoard from Dragon Island.

A strange scrabbling sound drew Snotlout out of his thoughts and he peered out between the bars of the cage door. He found himself looking directly at two very familiar Terrible Terrors, one orange and the other pale blue.

Iggy and Sneaky.

For a moment Snotlout couldn't believe his eyes and he simply gaped at the two little dragons, eventually he realised that they must have followed him all the way to the pirate hideout and he now had a much better chance of escape.

While he'd been taking time to comprehend this, the two dragons had begun chirping quietly at him and pawing at the cage door trying to work out why it wasn't opening. They stared up at him confused and Snotlout wondered how best to get them to help, they couldn't open the door themselves since their fire wasn't strong enough to deal with the bars or melt the lock. Thinking about the lock gave him an idea and he cautiously stuck his arm through the bars finding they were far enough apart for him to reach the lock from inside the cage, if he had the key it was possible for him to unlock it and he had an idea of how to get the key.

He gave a quick chirp of his own and both dragons focused their attention on him, since they'd first trained them in a competition they'd found that Terrors made great trained dragons and were far smarter than you'd think. They'd been working on the initial tricks the dragons had been taught and develop them so the creatures knew several hand signals and could respond to different calls, Fishlegs had paid special attention to Iggy's ability to fetch objects on demand. At first he needed a picture to know what to fetch but the dragon had started to learn the names of the different objects and could now do so purely on vocal commands. Unfortunately what Snotlout needed him to do was a bit more complex since Iggy hadn't seen the object he needed before but he hoped that the dragon was smart enough to work out what to do on his own, "Iggy." Snotlout lightly tapped the cage lock, "Key!"

The orange dragon looked at him confused and Snotlout repeated the action, "Iggy. Fetch the key!"

The Terror thought about it a bit more and then gave a chirp in response and quickly clambered up the cage bars. He sniffed the lock and gave another chirp before scurrying off into the rest of the hideout with Sneaky close behind.

* * *

Snotlout waited for a long time and he began to worry that the dragons had been caught or hadn't actually realised what he wanted them to do. Eventually he heard another scurrying sound and he saw them both running back with Iggy carrying a large set of keys in his mouth. Grinning Snotlout put his hand through the bars again and allowed the Terror to drop the keys in his hand, "Great job Iggy!"

The dragon growled happily and the boy began testing the keys in the lock, the first didn't work, neither did the second, nor the third and he began to fear that none of them would work, he turned the fifth key and was rewarded with a light click of the lock opening and he just held back from whooping with joy. He cautiously pushed the cell door and winced as it slightly squeaked and he stopped to see if anyone heard, thankfully no one seemed to and he quickly crawled out of his small prison and had a brief stretch. Iggy nuzzled his leg and he crouched down and gave the Terror a well-deserved scratch, "Thanks Iggy. Now, do you think you can find Hookfang?" The dragon gave a confirming chirp and scurried off and Snotlout followed the little dragon, Sneaky also followed and flew up onto the teen's shoulder as they cautiously made their way through the pirate's hideout.

The escape was on!

* * *

Gobber had run into problems of his own.

Not long after their detour around the pirate vessel, he and Thornado had ended up being caught in a vicious storm. The ship Snotlout had been on just missed it but the blacksmith and the Thunderdrum had flown right into it, they'd tried to keep going hoping to fly through it but its power became too much forcing them to land and take shelter. Unfortunately it had blown them well off course before then so neither one of them were quite sure where they'd ended up.

The storm lasted days and apart from vital excursions outside for food both Viking and dragon remained safely in the cave they'd sheltered in and waited for the weather to settle enough to let them fly again. As he sat there Gobber hoped that Snotlout had missed the storm and was safe from it even though he knew that if the boy had escaped it he was now getting a lead of several days on them. By now Gobber wouldn't be surprised if the teen had already reached the Ice Needles provided nothing had happened to him on the way and he prayed the boy was prepared for the Ice Wastes beyond.

Gobber also thought of Berk and he wondered if things had improved or if Gothi had discovered a cure, he had a lot of faith in the elder as he'd seen her treat many things before during the time dragons used to raid them and she'd yet to let the village down. Despite this he still found himself worrying about what would happen if she didn't, what would the village do then? He banished those thoughts as soon as they came, he needed to focus on catching up with Snotlout and getting the boy home. Gothi would find a cure and when they got back all the kids would be greeting them fully fit and healthy, Stoick would greet his nephew with relief and later chew him out for doing something so reckless, though the chief would be second because Gobber had a few things he wanted to say to the boy himself once he'd caught up with him and was certain he was safe and unharmed.

The blacksmith stood and looked out of the cave entrance at the raging weather, he needed it to stop soon and let him resume his search for Snotlout.

* * *

 _ **PS-So Snotlout has begun to escape thanks to the Terrors. Please let me know what you thought and I'll try to update soon.**_


	8. Terribly Chaotic

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and sorry for the long delay since the last chapter. This one has far more action than the previous one and is totally focused on Snotlout. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Terribly Chaotic**

The pirate's base was very much a warren of tunnels and caverns and Snotlout couldn't find Hookfang anywhere.

Their progress was incredibly fast because they didn't come across any pirates as they searched. Even with this run of luck the base was vast and there were a lot of places where a dragon could be hidden, Snotlout was getting more and more worried because it was only a matter of time before his escape was noticed and he really needed to get Hookfang and away from the pirates before they knew he'd gone. Despite this there was no sign of Hookfang at all and they found themselves getting far deeper into the base than they wanted to.

* * *

They suddenly heard roaring and cheering and Snotlout cautiously headed towards the sounds and peered round a corner.

It was the largest cavern he'd ever seen and in it stood a massive arena hewn from the stone itself with a chain roof just like the Academy arena. It was a large circle surrounded by tiered seats many of which were filled with cheering pirates, across from where Snotlout was stood a sectioned off area of seating in which sat the captain himself and he sat impassively as he watched the arena below him. Though Snotlout noticed all this it was the arena itself that really drew his attention.

It contained a Deadly Nadder facing off against a tall, hulking pirate wielding a massive pike.

The Nadder was covered with cuts and scars and it had a ferocious look that was a far cry from the usual friendly, if slightly proud, expression Snotlout had come to recognise in these dragons. The dragon roared and charged at the pirate launching spines from his tail, the man expertly dodged the spines and skilfully sidestepped and briefly jabbed the pike blade into the Nadder's side as he dived past. The dragon shrieked in pain and anger and let loose a stream of his bright flame, again the man simply dodged it and actually waved his pike at the watching crowd as they cheered and howled. The Nadder roared in frustration and flung more spines and another fire blast which his opponent dodged once more and the dragon charged once more. The pirate readied himself and as he dodged the charge he swung his pike slicing the Nadder right across his legs causing the dragon to crash to the ground, with his foe immobilised the pirate strode up to his foe as the crowd began howling for the finishing blow. The pirate raised his pike above the defeated Nadder and Snotlout turned his head, shut his eyes and covered his ears so he didn't see the Nadder's death nor heard the pirates roar in delight as the pike ended his life. The two Terrors whined in distress and they nuzzled the boy sadly as he tried hard not to think about what had just happened.

This was why none of them noticed three pirates approaching them until it was too late.

The Terrors squawked in alarm as one of the men grabbed them and shoved them into a small cage and the other two grabbed Snotlout, one holding him tightly as the other bound his hands. Snotlout struggled desperately but it did little good and soon he was being marched towards the arena by his two captors. Pirates sniggered and leered at him as he was taken past them and they circled the arena towards the waiting captain.

Snotlout became more and more frightened as they approached him certain that he was going to be punished harshly for escaping but the captain smiled at him as he was shoved forward, "Our VIP guest has arrived."

The surrounding pirates laughed raucously and Snotlout found himself sat beside the captain as some more rope was wrapped around his torso and pulled tight, the cage containing Iggy and Sneaky was dumped in front of them and the captain grinned wider, "You've even brought some more dragons though they are far less impressive than most."

He then clapped a hand on Snotlout's shoulder and the boy was even more scared by his sudden friendly behaviour, he was certain that it was simply a part of whatever cruel game the man was playing to punish him. The captain squeezed the teen's shoulder, "Now we've got some great entertainment for you, something to keep you amused while we await your uncle's answer to our ransom message. You're going to love what we've got on offer for you, DON'T YOU THINK LADS?"

When he yelled this out to his men they all laughed and cheered in answer and Snotlout shrank back. The captain then gestured grandly towards the arena, "Let the show begin!"

An expectant hush fell across the room and the man that had defeated the Nadder faced a large set of iron doors, they slowly creaked open and several men dragged out the far too familiar form of Hookfang.

The Nightmare was struggling valiantly but the men had a good grip on his restraints and soon the dragon was in the middle of the arena. With incredible swiftness the men had removed the restraints and got out of the arena leaving Hookfang with only the one who'd fought the Nadder in it with him. Then Snotlout realised exactly what was happening.

His punishment for escaping was going to be watching Hookfang fight to the death while he could do nothing to help him.

He looked pleadingly up at the captain, "Please don't do this."

The man smiled at him once more but it was far from friendly, "We've arranged this just for you. You shouldn't have tried to leave so soon before and you might have had a say in what you got for entertainment."

He signalled for the fight to start and the man in the arena began closing in on Hookfang, the Nightmare instantly noticed him and prepared himself for the imminent attack. Snotlout watched desperately fervently hoping that Hookfang would be fine though he had no idea what would happen if the dragon won. The crowd roared excitedly eager to see more bloodshed but went quiet as the tension built.

Then something happened that no one was really expecting.

Just before dragon and man clashed the arena fighter suddenly yelped in pain and drop his pike. He yelped again and this time Snotlout saw the flash of fire as it struck the man in his back. Sharpshot zipped over the arena and the Terror fired some more fire balls at the fighter, the man tried to avoid them but each one struck home causing more damage and Hookfang took the chance and sent him flying with one swipe from his tail.

By this time many of the pirates were howling in anger and Hookfang answered with a roar followed by a stream of fire aimed at the crowd and sending them scattering. The pirate captain was livid with rage and he danced about screaming orders at his men, there was a loud 'thunk' and his orders ceased as he fell unconscious. Snotlout looked at him in confusion until Head and Butt landed side by side and looked up at him appearing very pleased with themselves, Pain landed beside them and the purple Terror chirped happily before beginning to gnaw through Snotlout's bonds.

Within moments Snotlout was free and he quickly searched the unconscious captain, his efforts were rewarded when he found a massive bunch of keys and he opened the cage holding Iggy and Sharpshot and then ran down to the arena edge to yell at Hookfang who was still wreaking havoc with his fire, "HOOKFANG!"

The Nightmare stopped at the boy's voice and instantly located and began running towards his rider. Snotlout squeezed himself through the chains that made up the arena roof and landed directly on Hookfang's back. Wasting no time the Nightmare began making for the large doors in the arena wall and they opened to allow a bunch of men into it, they had weapons and were obviously there to stop the dragon. However Hookfang was now reunited with his rider and there was no way he was going to let anything happen to him now, the dragon roared and charged breathing fire as he went scattering the pirates like ninepins as he ploughed on through the doorway with the Terrors close behind.

On the other side was many large cages some of which held dragons, the doors were held shut by simple large sliding bolts on the outside and Snotlout made a split second decision. Swiftly dismounting Hookfang he ran to all the occupied cages and opened each one releasing the dragons, they all shot here, there and everywhere with some focused on escaping while others flung themselves at their former captors in vengeance.

In the ensuing chaos Hookfang, Snotlout and the Terrors pounded off through the caves as the pirates were distracted by the escaped dragons.

As they rushed on Snolout whistled at the Terrors and quickly called to them, "Haversacks!"

Understanding the command the Terrors scattered into the surrounding caves as Hookfang and Snotlout pressed on, several minutes later a chirping was heard behind them and all the Terrors returned bearing the haversacks Snotlout had brought from Berk including the ones that held his supplies. For some reason the pirates hadn't removed Hookfang's saddle and Snotlout quickly began attaching the haversacks to the saddle as well as he could while sitting on the running dragon thankful that they hadn't removed it nor emptied his supplies.

Sharpshot began leading the way and soon they found themselves charging uphill and into blinding daylight. Halting just long enough to regain his vision, Hookfang launched himself into the air and flew north leaving the pirates far behind.

* * *

 _ **PS-Snotlout is free at last and the search can continue. Please let me know what you thought and I'll try and update soon.**_


	9. Fur Flies by the Needles

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to this overdue chapter. There's a nice bit of action this time around and Snotlout's quest is finally back on track. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Fur Flies by the Needles**

Snotlout's flight north was rapid as Hookfang tried to put as much distance between himself and the pirates as possible and to make up for the huge amount of lost time.

The boy wasn't sure how far north the pirates had brought them but it was exceptionally cold forcing him to put on several extra layers so as not to freeze. Down below ice burgs peppered the ocean and Snotlout prayed that the Ice Needles were close as they pushed on north.

The day wore on and Snotlout found it strange how long it was lasting, he was certain it was roughly midday when they escaped but it was way past nightfall and the sun was still in the sky. Then something Gobber had mentioned once came to Snotlout's mind and he realised what was going on. It was summer and the blacksmith had said that when you got far enough north the sun ceased to set throughout the summer months. Thinking about it Snotlout had noticed the days getting markedly longer when he was on the pirate ship but had been too concerned with his captivity to bother thinking on it further. If he'd come far enough north that the sun didn't set then the Ice Needles must be close by.

He scanned the horizon and saw something appearing on the distant horizon, he patted Hookfang, "Look Hookster! There's something ahead of us."

The Nightmare rumbled in response and a couple of the Terrors chirped excitedly and they flew on towards it.

* * *

It was several hours before they reached what Snotlout had spotted and it took his breath away.

The Ice Needles

They were actually the end of a huge glacier and they were named because the edge formed a towering cliff of ice with row upon row of needle like projections sticking out towards the ocean, like a massive spiked wall to deter anyone from climbing into the frozen realm beyond.

Snotlout stood for a moment at their base simply gazing in awe at the sight. He'd never seen anything like it in his life and its sheer size made the glaciers near Berk look like pitiful copies. He slowly placed his hand upon its face and its frozen surface confirmed that it was indeed all ice and his mind was blown further, he was certain there was more ice there than Berk had ever had in its three hundred years of existence.

A nudge from Hookfang pulled him out of his awestruck reverie and he focused on his next move. If the sun was never going to set then he'd have to decide for himself when was best to rest, they still needed to sleep despite their tight time constraint and Hookfang was exhausted from flying at full pelt for several hours. Another problem was food because if he remembered correctly then the Ice Needles marked the beginning of the Ice Wastes and he doubted there'd be much in the way of food there. He had plenty of supplies for himself for a while if he rationed them out well but the dragons had been hunting for themselves until now, there was no way Hookfang could carry several days' worth of dragon food as well as everything else making it a major problem.

While he'd been thinking he hadn't noticed the Terrors diving in and out of the sea beside them catching as many fish as possible until one of them unintentionally tossed a fish into his face.

"Hey!"

He looked round in annoyance and saw the rapidly growing pile of fish as Terrors added to it at an amazing rate. Hookfang grinned at him before digging in to the humongous pile while Snotlout stood dumfounded as the Terrors kept adding to it. Hookfang kept eating long after he'd had a normal portion and it took Snotlout a while to realise what the dragon was doing. He was eating as much as he could so he could survive on his fat reserves in the Ice Wastes instead of relying on hunting and the boy had to admit he was impressed by his dragon's instincts. Smiling he began also taking from the fish pile deciding that it maybe wasn't a bad idea to have as much as he could now before he'd have to ration himself in the days ahead.

It was a long time before the dragons decided they had eaten a sufficient amount to last in the days ahead and soon they all settled down for a short sleep to prepare themselves for the flight over the Ice Needles and into the harsh wilderness beyond.

* * *

A sudden howling startled Snotlout from where he was sleeping curled up against Hookfang and he stood and rapidly looked around. Hookfang was already alert and growling and the Terrors had all swarmed together.

Another howl sounded and Snotlout recognised it as the howl of a wolf, it seemed to be coming from the direction Hookfang was facing but then another one sounded from behind them and Snotlout turned that way calling out to his friend as he did so, "They've got us surrounded Hookfang!"

The Nightmare roared challengingly at the wolves and four appeared in front of the dragon, another four appeared in front of Snotlout and all eight began approaching menacingly.

Normally wolves left people be but Snotlout had heard of them going for lone people far from any form of help, they'd also never attempt an assault on a dragon in normal circumstances unless it was a tiny one like a Terror. However Snotlout could see how scrawny and starved these wolves were, there was a mad look in their eyes and he wondered how long this pack had gone without food. They were obviously desperate enough to risk taking on a Monstrous Nightmare to get to all the food he was carrying and the juicy human he was protecting.

Snotlout decided they needed to get in the sky now and he turned to mount Hookfang when another howl sounded from the Ice Needles. Looking up he saw two more wolves standing on a bunch of large boulders beside them and they instantly pounced.

Like lightning Snotlout dived and rolled away from their landing spot but the motion had taken him away from Hookfang and towards one of the side groups of wolves. Hookfang made to dive to his aid but the dragon found himself hemmed in by four of the beasts snapping and growling as they tried to bring him down, three tried to pounce on the Terrors as the last three surrounded Snotlout and he cursed the fact that he didn't bring any weapon with him except the knife that the pirates had taken.

One leapt for the boy's throat and he barely had enough time to grab the creature's neck and throw it away from him causing it to yelp in pain as it hit the ground. Another tried to bite his leg and he jumped aside to avoid it and barely avoided the next one as it snapped at his side. The first had recovered and jumped at him again but this time Snotlout was prepared and swung a hard fist in from the right sending the animal flying with a punch to the jaw, the second pounced but he stepped back and floored it with a kick to its side. The third caught him unawares and it clamped its jaws on his arm and Snotlout cried out in pain before he brought his other hand down in a vicious karate chop on its neck, the wolf released his arm with a howl which was drowned out by a ferocious roar from Hookfang.

He'd heard his rider's cry and had lit up his fire coat sending wolves jumping back from the flames, he clamped one in his jaws and flung it at its pack-mates and several were taken out by their thrown member. The Nightmare's tail slammed back and forth catapulting more wolves and he charged at the ones around Snotlout roaring in rage, they growled ferociously back but quickly ran for it when they were nearly incinerated by the wrathful dragon's fire. The three attacking the Terrors soon followed the rest of the retreating pack a couple with their fur on fire courtesy of the little dragons' fire breath and Hookfang roared at the routed predators. Still fuelled by adrenaline Snotlout also roared after the wolves, "TAKE THAT YOU MANGY FLEABAGS!"

As their foe vanished Snotlout's adrenaline began to rapidly wear off and he clutched his bleeding arm with a small gasp as its pain made itself known. Hookfang rumbled at his rider in concern and Snotlout waved him off, "It's not that bad Hookfang. That pack are probably starving enough to come back and try again so we need to get out of here, I'll dress this properly in the air."

The Nightmare growled discontentedly but crouched down to let Snotlout climb onto his back, ignoring the pain Snotlout gripped the dragon's horns and Hookfang took off and flew up the immense glacier. When they were in the air, Pain landed on Hookfang and inspected Snotlout's wound. He growled before scrabbling into a good position and began to gently lick it, the boy felt some of the pain ease at the Terror's ministrations and he smiled, "Thanks Pain."

The dragon chirped and resumed licking and Hookfang flew on away from the Ice Needles and into the Ice Wastes.

* * *

On Berk things had become far worse.

Now all the children had entered a deep faint and would not wake up despite the cries and shakings from their distressed parents. Stoick hadn't left Hiccup's side and never took his eyes off his son as if it was the only thing keeping him alive. None of them had died yet but people were terrified that it could happen any moment and every breath their child took was like a miracle of the gods.

In a smaller room nearby Gothi had exhausted all of her options, her medicinal skills were useless and her skills as a seer had also failed to divine a cure for her. She'd cast bones, studied entrails and even attempted scrying but to no avail.

She sat dejectedly on the floor and carelessly cast her precious staff aside in defeat. The only chance now was for Snotlout's nearly impossible quest to succeed and she turned her eyes heavenward and prayed for the boy.

That and hope was all they had left.

* * *

 _ **PS-So how did you like the wolf fight? Please let me know what you thought and I'll try and update soon.**_


	10. Snow and Blood

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter. This one is all about Snotlout only and he has a good bit of epicness in it. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Snow and Blood**

They'd left the edge of the glacier far behind but it stretched back far into the Ice Wastes and Snotlout still couldn't see its end.

He'd opted for following the glacier's course in hope that it would lead him towards the Labyrinth of Lost Souls which he hoped was the next stage of the journey. Johan had mentioned it in his tale about the Glacial Bloom and Snotlout was now kind of wishing that he hadn't hurried the man through his story because he might have actually told him where the labyrinth was. For the moment he decided that his best bet was to follow the glacier, there was a good chance that the labyrinth was somewhere along its length and it would serve as a good landmark in a land where there were few to go by. Either side of the glacier was simply a vast white plain stretching as far as the eye could see devoid of any sort of other features that other lands held. Even flying on a dragon you could easily get lost in this blank wasteland and he was glad he had the glacier to follow.

* * *

Snotlout idly fiddled with the edge of the dressing on his wounded arm as his eyes scanned the area below. There was little sign of anything remotely like a labyrinth and he feared that they'd soon reach the end of the glacier and be forced to head beyond it into the featureless desert beyond.

He then spotted something on the horizon and he spoke excitedly to Hookfang, "Look! There's something ahead of us!"

The Nightmare rumbled in response and Snotlout looked at it again, "We're coming up to it fast. Maybe the Labyrinth of Lost Souls is somewhere there."

He then realised that they were approaching it far too fast and his voice trembled, "We're not coming up to it fast, it's coming up fast to us!"

Hookfang and the Terrors gave growls of distress and Snotlout could now see the rapidly moving clouds and he realised exactly what was heading their way.

Snowstorm.

They had to get down on the ground right away and he spurred Hookfang on, "C'mon Hookfang! We need to land now!"

The dragon needed no additional urging and he went into as steep a dive as he dared, the Terrors landed on the Nightmare and clung tight due to the wind rapidly picking up strength. Snotlout also flattened himself against Hookfang's body as snow began falling around him and he watched as the main storm powered closer.

Hookfang had nearly reached the ground when the wind's full force struck him and he began fighting to keep himself steady, the Terrors were being buffeted this way and that as they desperately tried to keep clinging to the Nightmare's body to avoid being swept away. Though much bigger than them Snotlout could also feel the wind trying to rip him out of the saddle and he gripped hard to stay on. The snow whirled around furiously rendering all vision practically useless as it turned the world into a spinning, white maelstrom.

Suddenly Sharpshot lost his grip on Hookfang's scales and was dragged into the air, without thinking Snotlout shot out his hand and grabbed the little dragon's tail before he was swept away by the wind. He held onto the dragon's tail tightly and with a huge effort dragged the Terror back down onto Hookfang's back, even as he did so he could see the other Terrors struggling to maintain their own grip and he knew he had to do something. A sudden increase in the wind forced him to grab one of the straps holding the saddlebags…

The saddlebags!

He still had a tight hold of Sharpshot and, fighting against the wind and gripping Hookfang tightly with his legs, he reached down to one of the saddlebags and opened it, he then shoved the little dragon into the tiny sanctuary and closed it, protecting him from the vicious weather. He then grabbed Iggy and repeated the procedure with a different saddlebag and then the same again with Head, Butt and Pain as Hookfang fought to remain as stable as possible in the furious storm.

He'd only just finished closing the saddlebag where he'd shoved Sneaky when Hookfang collided with an ice spire that had sprung out through the storm. The dragon spun violently in the air from the collision and Snotlout was flung from the saddle because he hadn't reclaimed his grip on Hookfang's back after helping the Terrors.

He only had time for a brief scream before he landed hard in a massive pile of snow created by the storm. He fought his way out, amazed he was alive and unharmed, and yelled into the storm, "HOOKFANG!"

His dragon had long been carried away by the wind and couldn't help him and Snotlout knew he had to find shelter. Holding his arms up to shield his eyes from the snow he ploughed forwards desperate to find some sort of cover. He lost track of time in the raging white of the storm as he fought on, he could barely see a foot in front of him and the wind buffeted him all over the place as the cold grew in his bones.

Then, like a miracle from the gods, he spotted an ice cave just ahead and he rushed towards it battling the storm as it tried to drag him away from safety. He tumbled inside as the wind sharply dropped and nearly fell on his face, he caught himself just in time and looked out the entrance to see the storm raging beyond.

As he jumped up and down and vigorously rubbed his arms to generate heat he looked around at cave he'd ended up in. It was actually more of a tunnel and he could see it running back into the darkness, he thought about heading further in but quickly dismissed the idea due to the fact he had no form of light or torch. Instead he slowly sat on the icy floor, leaned back against the wall and drew his knees up to his chest to conserve his body heat as he watched the storm outside.

He hoped that Hookfang was alright and he desperately wanted to see his dragon again but he knew he couldn't go anywhere until the storm abated. The exertion of saving the Terrors and getting to the cave finally caught up to him and he found his eyes closing as he hugged his knees.

In a very short time he drifted into sleep.

* * *

A sudden instinct woke him and the first thing he noticed was that the storm outside had finally stopped.

He stood up grinning and had already begun moving about to regain the heat he'd lost as he slept when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He stopped moving and his grin disappeared to be replaced by a look of fear as he got the distinct feeling that he wasn't alone. Slowly turning he looked down the tunnel and saw something behind him he really wished he hadn't.

A large white bear.

It must have been sneaking up on him for a while and he froze at the sight of the hungry predator. The bear realised it had been spotted and gave a ferocious growl before charging towards him, fear gripped Snotlout at the sight of the mighty creature baring down on him and he stood rooted to the spot as it rapidly got closer.

Then his survival instincts kicked in and he jumped back as the beast swiped with one of its mighty paws. The claws ripped through his clothing like a hot knife through butter and tore through several layers to pierce his skin leaving huge deep cuts across Snotlout's chest. He screamed in agony and the pain thrummed through him snapping him into a sprint away from the creature.

The bear instantly pursued and Snotlout could hear the thunder of lethal paws behind him as he ran as fast as he could. His breath came harshly out his mouth as his burning lungs screamed for air adding to the fiery pain from his wounded chest and his feet slipped this way and that as he fought to maintain balance on the icy ground. He briefly looked back to see the bear rapidly gaining on him and nearly fell forward on the slippery ground, he just regained his footing in time and continued running.

From out of nowhere a huge crevasse appeared before him and he screeched to a halt only just stopping before he tumbled over the edge into the depths below. Glancing back revealed that the bear had sped up as if it knew its prey was trapped and Snotlout turned back to the chasm in front of him and braced for one last desperate gamble. Closing his eyes he focused on the pounding paws behind him listening as they rapidly got closer, the moment he heard the falter in the rhythm his eyes snapped open and he threw himself in a diving side roll to the right.

He'd timed it perfectly and the bear found itself swiping at empty air as the momentum of its attack carried it over the edge into the deep crevasse.

Snotlout watched it vanish into the darkness below and then shouted in exhilarated relief, "OH YEAH!"

Dizziness suddenly assaulted him and he stumbled back a few steps clutching his head, he then remembered his wounded chest and quickly lifted his blood-soaked shirts to reveal the four huge gashes bleeding heavily. Another wave of dizziness washed over him and his rapidly fogging brain realised that he'd lost far too much blood and he needed to stop the bleeding.

Before he could do anything to stop it unconsciousness seized him and he collapsed backwards onto the freezing ground.

* * *

 _ **PS-So how was that for Snotlout heroism and bravery? Please let me know what you thought and I'll try and update soon so you're not left with a cliff-hanger for too long.**_


	11. Friend

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and here is the next chapter of Snotlout's epic quest. Far less action this time around but I think I've bounced him between crises quite a bit so he deserves a break. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Friend**

Warmth was the first thing he noticed.

Second was the smell of roasting meat and from there he noticed other things, the weight of heavy furs draped over his body, the dull throbbing of his chest and the feeling of the tight bandages around his wounds and the sounds of someone softly moving about near him.

Snotlout slowly opened his eyes to be met by the sight of a rough, white, domed ceiling and after a moment he realised it was made from ice. He was wrapped in several furs which were keeping him exceptionally warm and he could feel more beneath him acting as a sort of bed. All this made it obvious that someone had found him unconscious in the snow and brought him here and he could hear them moving about to his right. Turning his head the boy saw the man who'd saved him.

He wore a light cloth shirt and heavy fur trousers, on his feet were bulky fur boots tightly tied so they wouldn't come off his feet easily. He was reasonably short for an adult but he was well muscled and had the look of a survivor, his dark hair was fairly long and tied back and since he had his back to the boy Snotlout could see what looked like shark teeth tied in it.

The man was currently focused on a small fire in front of him as he did something with it, Snotlout slowly began to sit up and gave a small gasp as he accidently disturbed his chest wounds. The man turned round and gave Snotlout a smile, "You've finally woken up."

He was quickly beside the boy and gently helped him sit up, "You've been out for roughly a day, you'd already lost a lot of blood when I found you and if you'd been left much longer you would've frozen to death. You're pretty lucky little one."

Now that the man was facing him Snotlout could see more of his features. His skin was weathered and worn but he had kind eyes and a friendly smile. Snotlout guessed he was somewhere around his Uncle Stoick's age and he had the same tough, enduring aura that his guardian did, "Who are you?"

With Snotlout sitting up properly the man sat down by his bed, "I'm Culloden the Wanderer but just Culloden will do. I've spent pretty much my whole adult life roaming the world and I'm about the only other person this far out on the Ice Wastes. I must confess I'm very surprised to find a young Viking boy so far from his tribe and with dragons as well."

Snotlout's eyes widened in hope, "You found Hookfang and the others as well!?"

Culloden nodded, "They actually found me. I'd just left this shelter after the snowstorm you must have been caught in and this panicked Monstrous Nightmare came swooping down. I thought he was going to kill me but he actually landed and began frantically showing me his saddle, I was even more surprised to find six Terrible Terrors in the saddlebags which I guess was your doing to protect them. It took some time but I realised that the Nightmare must have lost his rider during the storm and I set out to search along with them. We searched for a couple of hours until one of the Terrors picked something up and led us towards it, we arrived near where you were just in time to see you trick that bear into falling into the crevasse and reached you just after you collapsed. We brought you back here and I've been caring for your injuries since."

"Where are they?"

"The dragons are outside. The Nightmare, who I assume is Hookfang, is far too big to fit in here but his internal heat should keep him more than warm enough. The Terrors are also about out there though I'm surprised that they haven't already come in now that you're awake, they've been consistently by your side while you've been unconscious and only disappeared a couple of moments before you woke up."

Snotlout gave a relieved smile at the news the dragons were safe, "Thank you for helping us."

Culloden smiled, "There's no need to thank me little one but I would like to know why a Viking boy is all the way out here riding a dragon."

"It's a long story."

"That's perfectly fine." Culloden answered, "I've been out here by myself for several weeks so I'm more than happy to hear to voice of another person and I'm guessing that its quite the tale you have making me all the more eager to hear it. Just let me finish preparing our food and you can begin."

Culloden returned his attention to the fire and Snotlout realised that he'd been roasting some meat for them when he'd woken up, it was just about ready and soon the boy was tucking into a hot meal along with his saviour.

Fortified with hot food Snotlout told him about the illness on Berk and his search for the Glacial Bloom and everything that had happened on his journey. Culloden remained attentive throughout the narrative, only interrupting when he wanted clarification on a certain point, and when the teen had finished the man briefly held a thoughtful silence before speaking, "Well it seems that its either incredible luck or a remarkable twist of fate but I'm also searching for the same thing as you."

Snotlout was surprised "Really!? Why? Are you trying to cure an illness as well?"

Culloden shook his head, "No, nothing nearly as noble as that. I'm actually looking for the Glacial Bloom simply because I can. While I'm called 'The Wanderer' I'm actually more of an adventurer, I enjoy tackling difficult challenges and attempting what hasn't been done and when I heard about the legendary flower I had to find out if it existed. It was another challenge and a chance to find something truly remarkable."

"That's why you're all the way out here as well?" Snotlout asked, "You simply want to find out if it's real or not?"

The man smiled, "Indeed."

Snotlout shook his head in amazement, "That must take a lot of courage."

"Or a lot of foolishness." Culloden answered, "Though there are times when the two are one in the same."

Snotlout grinned, "Yeah. I've experienced times like that before. Uncle Stoick will probably tell me this quest is definitely one of them."

They both chuckled a bit then Culloden spoke again, "Well seeing as we're both searching for the same thing why don't we be courageous fools together and search for our goal. I know the location of the entrance to the Labyrinth of Lost Souls and I've even managed to find something that my help us find the right path when we're inside it. We should go together."

Snotlout smiled hopefully, "Really? You mean it?"

Culloden nodded, "Of course. You need the Glacial Bloom for your village and we'll certainly have a far better chance of finding it working together than apart. Also your injuries mean you won't be able to fly your dragon for a couple of days at least, you'll certainly not be able to walk it and you need to find the flower as fast as possible. I have a means of travel that, while not as fast as a dragon, will still get you to the labyrinth fairly quickly while being conscientious of your wounds. So what do you think?"

Snotlout grinned, "I think it's a great idea. Thank you."

There was a scurrying sound and suddenly the six Terrors appeared lugging something between them. They went straight to Snotlout and dropped their load into his lap before jumping around him chirping excitedly. The boy examined their gift and found that it was a dead, small, dog-like creature with white fur, Culloden looked at it in amazement, "I don't believe it. It seems like your Terrors knew you were waking up and went out to fetch you food, though how they managed to catch an Artic fox I have no idea."

Snotlout smiled at the little dragons, "Thanks guys."

The Terrors chirped in happiness and Pain nipped onto Snotlout's shoulder and nuzzled the boy lovingly, Snotlout laughed and scratched the dragon under the chin as Culloden took the dead fox outside to skin and prepare it properly leaving the boy with the overjoyed Terrors.

With a brand new friend and guide the quest for the Glacial Bloom was looking a lot more likely to succeed.

* * *

 _ **PS-So we now have a new ally for Snotlout but will they succeed? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	12. Gifts and Messages

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and here is chapter twelve for you all. This time we see a bit of what's happening elsewhere but it is largely focused on Snotlout. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Gifts and Messages**

Not long after the Terrors had returned Snotlout noticed that Culloden was preparing to leave and he went to help but the man stopped him, "There's no need little one, I'm pretty adept at this after many years and you need to take it easy when you can because of those chest wounds. What you can do is put on the clothing beside your bed, I don't have the right materials to repair your pervious clothing and it wasn't really the best for travelling through this environment anyway. The other clothing will be far more suitable for you."

Snotlout saw the pile next to his bed and found that it was clothing very similar to what Culloden wore, largely heavy furs and thick cloth. He began putting the clothing on and found it fitted him fairly well, Culloden noticed his surprise at this and gave a small laugh, "Your lucky that I'm quite short. Those are actually mine and I did my best to adjust them to your size and it looks like I managed quite well which is good. If they didn't fit you properly then they wouldn't keep you as warm. Your coat is actually polar bear hide so it's a pretty good quality item and the boots are seal skin so they're very waterproof. I got those from one of the tribes that live around the coast and on the sea ice of this land and they really know how to survive out here."

Snotlout had to admit that the outfit felt really warm and he could tell that it was hard wearing, he smiled at Culloden gratefully, "Thank you."

The man waved a hand carelessly, "Don't worry about it little one, I more than happy to let you have those. Just think about how impressed everyone in your tribe will be when you return with a polar bear hide jacket."

"Your letting me keep these!?"

"Of course." Culloden smiled, "I know you're out here to save your village but it's still your first major adventure, I think you deserve to return home with something for yourself. Consider it a reward for making it this far from an experienced adventurer whom you've greatly impressed."

Snotlout looked away embarrassed at his words, "Thanks."

Culloden nodded before handing him something, "You should take this as well. You said you lost your knife to the pirates so you should really have another weapon even though you've got dragons."

He handed over a knife in an odd pale sheath and Snotlout pulled the blade out to see that it was also made from the same pale material. Culloden explained, "It's made from the tusk of a walrus, a sort of large seal like aquatic creature found on northern coasts. It may not be as strong as metal but it is far stronger than you think and will do the job."

Snotlout gave another grateful smile and attached the knife to his belt, "Thank you again, you've done so much for me."

"It's a pleasure little one." Culloden clapped his hands together, "Now! Let's head outside. Your Monstrous Nightmare is eager to see you and you can see how we'll be traveling."

* * *

To get out they had to scramble out through a small tunnel and Snotlout saw that they'd actually been inside a small dome of ice with its entrance dug below the normal ground level. Looking around he quickly spotted Hookfang curled up on the ground surrounded by a pack of wolf like dogs and he called out to him, "Hookfang!"

The Nightmare raised his head and grinned joyfully at the sight of his rider and charged over to nuzzle Snotlout furiously, clearly displaying how happy he was that the boy was safe. Snotlout laughed happily as he showered the dragon with attention and fuss, "Good to see you too Hookfang."

The dragon rumbled in agreement and gave his rider a huge lick before sitting back slightly. Culloden had watched the whole scene with a smile and he now made his way over to the dogs who were barking excitedly, they all wore harnesses and they were some of the fluffiest dogs Snotlout had seen with an incredibly wolf-like build. Culloden spoke as he did something with the harnesses, "These are Huskies, they're very good hunters and are very well suited to this environment. The people who live this far north use them in many areas of their lives and they can be quite friendly animals if they're trained well and they're going to get us to the labyrinth."

Snotlout had been petting one of the dogs and he looked up, "How?"

Culloden gestured to behind where the dogs were and Snotlout noticed a large sled sitting there, it was attached by a series of leads to the Huskies' harnesses and he smiled, "They can pull the sled?"

The man patted one of the dogs proudly, "Of course. They're very much pack animals like wolves and provided you know how to control them properly they can work together on many things. They're also a lot stronger than they look and their stamina is well beyond that of a humans making them excellent sled dogs and the best way of traveling around this land, well…second best in your case since you can fly on a dragon but for everyone else they're the best."

The dogs were barking and howling as if eager to get going and Culloden began loading the sled, "Once I've packed everything up we'll get moving, Hookfang can fly above us but for now you'll have to ride on the sled. It's the best way for you to go anywhere while your wounds are healing and it's the easiest way for me to take you to the labyrinth along with all our supplies."

Snotlout nodded and Culloden set about loading the sled.

* * *

Gobber and Thornado left the cave they'd been sheltering in for days.

The storm had raged on and on leaving them trapped and unable to continue on. Both Viking and dragon had become increasingly frustrated as time went on as they were desperate to get after Snotlout and Hookfang. Now though the skies were clear and they had to do some serious flying to make up for lost time but first they needed to replenish their dwindled supplies.

As such they both went on a furious hunting and gathering spree to gather food and they spent half a day doing so before finally deciding they had enough. Gobber packed the replenished supplies onto Thornado's back and quickly mounted the Thunderdrum. The dragon immediately took to the air and circled for a bit as Gobber tried to get his bearings on where they were.

He'd travelled a fair bit in his younger years before finally settling back in his home village of Berk as a blacksmith and he was well versed in the waters surrounding the Archipelago. The furthest north he'd ever gone was the Ice Needles and he was looking for some sort of landmark he recognised to point him in the right direction. He finally spotted one and realised that the storm had taken them too far east and he pointed the Thunderdrum in a north-westerly direction.

Thornado powered off in that direction as fast as he could and Gobber urged him on hoping to catch up with Snotlout as fast as possible.

* * *

Stoick was still sitting silently beside his comatose son worrying for both him and Snotlout when Mulch approached him.

"Stoick?"

The chief looked up from Hiccup's form to look at the man, "What is it Mulch?"

The farmer spoke nervously, "There's a messenger who's just arrived at the docks. He's demanding to speak with you immediately."

Stoick looked back down at Hiccup again, he had no desire to leave his son's side right now but this messenger might have something he needed to hear. He was still Berk's chief and had a responsibility to attend to his duties as expected in order to properly take care of the village but he felt he couldn't leave his son when he could be so close to death.

Toothless gave a low rumble and Stoick looked at the dragon to see him give a look that seemed to say 'don't worry, I'll watch him' and he sighed, "I'll meet him there Mulch."

The farmer nodded and hurried off out of the Great Hall and Stoick gently kissed Hiccup's forehead, "I'll be back soon son."

He stood and strode out of the hall but not before giving a look back towards Hiccup.

* * *

When he got to the docks he found a small vessel waiting for him crewed by about six men, a seventh stood on the docks by the boat under the watchful eyes of two Vikings.

Mulch nodded to Stoick as he strode up to them and the chief spoke abruptly, "What do you want?"

The man pulled something out from a pouch on his belt as he answered, "I bring a message from Captain SoarBlade, tyrant of the Northern Waters."

Stoicks eyes narrowed dangerously even as fear clenched in his gut, he'd heard of Captain SoarBlade and knew he was a very dangerous pirate. What's more he had a chilling suspicion that this message had something to do with Snotlout, despite this his face remained impassive, "What's the message."

"My Captain demands that you will land on Spear Point Isle in three days with three sack loads of gold, silver and other valuables. These you will exchange as ransom for Snotlout Jorgenson, your nephew. If you do not do this then the boy will surely die, any further terms the Captain has will be discussed at the island. This should serve as proof that we have Snotlout Jorgenson captive." He handed over the knife he'd taken from his belt pouch and it took only a cursory glance for Stoick to recognise it as the one he gave Snotlout on his birthday five years ago. The man finished, "My Captain will wait for you on Spear Point Isle."

The man turned and re-boarded his boat, as they sailed off Mulch stood by the chief, "Stoick, what do we do?"

Stoick closed his eyes but didn't answer.

* * *

 _ **PS-So the pirate messenger has arrived and Snotlout meets some Huskies. Please let me know what you thought and I'll try and update soon.**_


	13. Troubles Brew Behind

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to chapter thirteen. We see a bit more of Berk and what is happening there as Snotlout's journey continues. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Troubles Brew Behind**

Riding a dog sled was a brand new experience for Snotlout and he had to admit that despite the urgency of his quest he was really quite enjoying himself.

The dogs could pull the sled at quite a surprising pace and the boy was amazed at their strength and stamina. It sped along over the snow and ice and Snotlout found himself laughing in exhilaration at its speed, of course dragons were faster but on a sled you could actually see the landscape rushing past and the excited howls and barks of the huskies rang over the wilderness as the powered on. The Terrors had opted for this method of transport to save their energy and they also let loose their high-pitched roars alongside the huskies' barks, Hookfang was soaring up above but would occasionally swoop low and fly just above the pack of dogs or the sled and give a grin and a rumbling laugh at his rider's joy. Snotlout was sitting at the back of the sled behind all the supplies packed on it and Culloden was stood behind him balancing on the very back holding onto the frame. The man was directing the dogs from here and he spoke to Snotlout about their route and current location, "When you fell off Hookfang you were actually still above the glacier you were following which is a good thing because the entrance to the labyrinth is at its starting point. At the moment we're following it towards the only mountain this land has and that's the Labyrinth of Lost Souls. From there things get less simple, I did a lot of research into the labyrinth to see if there was some information of the route through it but all I got was some cryptic instructions from an old story. Hopefully they'll make more sense when we actually get there."

"How long will that be?"

Culloden patted his shoulder, "Not long little one. You got pretty close before you were caught in that snowstorm, you can actually see the mountain ahead of us and I'm surprised you haven't noticed it already."

Snotlout had been so focused on the sled and the dogs that he hadn't been paying much attention to the horizon, now looking ahead he saw the jagged, white mound rising before them. It was huge when compared to the cliffs and spires that were hallmarks of the Archipelago and it rose formidably above the Ice Wastes, the boy's eyes widened in wonder, "It's huge! How are we going to climb it?"

Culloden smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry little one, we'll manage just fine. You'll see."

Snotlout continued staring at the mighty, ice-covered mountain as the dogs pulled the sled closer to the next stage of their journey.

* * *

Once again sat in silence beside his son, Stoick thought deeply about the message the pirates had sent him.

It confirmed what he'd been fearing since Snotlout had recklessly run off on his quest and the chief was now wishing he'd gone after the boy himself, if he had he might've caught up to his nephew before he was kidnapped. Now though it was no use worrying over what he could've done and instead he focused on what he could do, part of him wanted to go charging after this Captain SoarBlade with a full band of Berkian warriors and pound into the pirates until they handed his nephew back. While this was a very tempting and technically viable option he was aware of the repercussions for Berk itself, if the children were all healthy there would be no trouble with this course of action but with this illness many of his warriors would be distracted with worry for their young. Stoick didn't want to pull them away from Berk when their children could die any second and few would be willing to leave their sides. Also despite the adults being fit and healthy the sick children would be hard to defend in the event of an attack from someone like Alvin or Dagur, they would be a helpless target for these men and Stoick needed all his warriors here to defend the Great Hall in such an event as they couldn't move the children anywhere safer in their current state.

He'd been considering many options but as he continued he found himself focusing more on one particular one. He didn't like it at all as it would take him away from Hiccup and he couldn't bear to leave his son in this state. However he reluctantly told himself that Hiccup's fate was entirely out of his hands now and there wasn't anything more he could do to help him. Snotlout's however was still in his control and he would never forgive himself if he didn't do what he could to save his nephew, with this in mind he called Mulch and the farmer hurried over, "What is it Stoick?"

The chief stood and answered, "Mulch, I need you to take charge of Berk while I meet with Captain SoarBlade on Spear Point Isle."

The farmer sighed, "I assume you're going to try and get Snotlout back?"

"Aye." Stoick looked down at his son sadly, "I don't want to leave with things as they are but Snotlout's survival depends on me. I need to go."

"Very well Stoick, I shall let the men know to prepare to travel right away."

The man began to hurry off but Stoick stopped him, "No Mulch! I'll be going alone."

Mulch's eyes widened as he protested, "But Stoick, you'll need warriors if you're going to take on those pirates!"

Stoick shook his head, "I'm not forcing any of the men to leave their families now, we'll need them here in case Berk is attacked. With all the children ill they are vulnerable so we need every able-bodied man here to defend them. Instead I'll take the ransom they demanded and take it from there."

"But where are you going to get three sack loads of gold and silver? Berk doesn't have anything close to wealth like that, not even if you gathered up every valuable item from every single villager."

"You're not quite right there Mulch." The farmer looked confused at Stoick's words and the chief gave a crafty smile, "I think I know where we can find the amount we need."

* * *

Captain SoarBlade watched as the small vessel of his messenger moored alongside his ship and the man moved onto the larger ship.

He looked confused as he approached the captain, "Captain, I thought you would be waiting at Spear Point Isle sir."

The captain simply looked at him as he answered, "Unfortunately my plans were forced to change however I have sent some trusted men to deal with Stoick if he arrives on that island. Instead I have come up with what I believe to be a far better plan depending on what my spy has to say."

The messenger nodded in understanding, "I see sir, we put him on the other side of Berk as you requested before delivering the message to Stoick and picked him up afterwards as you ordered. I'll go and bring him to you immediately."

He hurried off and soon returned with another man of a slighter build when compared to the rest. This second man quickly began his report, "I investigated the island as you ordered and discovered that Berk has indeed found a way to tame the dragons, however only a small number of the population actually use them regularly and they have far bigger concerns at the moment."

Captain SoarBlade raised an eyebrow in interest, "What kind of concerns?"

The spy grinned, "From what I discovered all the children of Berk have come down with a mysterious illness and are all near death with no cure in sight. The rest of the village is fearful for them and considerably weaker because of it. Even better is the fact that it is a group of teens who use dragons the most and since they have the same illness their dragons will not be as adept at defending the village without their riders. If Stoick leaves for Spear Point Isle then the village will be very vulnerable to attack, no doubt the Vikings will still fight but with the right plan we can render them all helpless."

The captain grinned, "Excellent work, this is certainly working in our favour. Tell the men to continue on to Berk, we have the perfect opportunity to claim their long hoarded riches."

Both men nodded eagerly and ran off to pass on his orders and Captain SoarBlade stood in his ship's stern looking back at the five other vessels under his command. When Snotlout had escaped the captain had been furious and had sent orders calling back his all his other vessels planning to pursue the boy who'd humiliated him. Then a sudden idea had come to him and instead he'd turned his force in the direction of Berk, his men had seen the boy heading north and he'd decided to plunder the boy's home as retribution. His hope had been that the message he'd sent before Snotlout had escaped would cause Stoick to leave Berk with some of his warriors leaving the village weakened but the news brought by his spy was even better. The man was right in saying that the right plan could leave the entirety of Berk open to them and he had just the plan.

The captain laughed, Snotlout Jorgenson was going to return home at some point and when he did he'd find it firmly under the command of Captain SoarBlade.

* * *

 _ **PS-And thus I have brought the number of enemies of Berk up by one. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	14. Onwards and Inwards

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and here is the next chapter. Snotlout and Culloden finally reach the next stage of their quest and we see a bit more of Stoick's plan. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Onwards and Inwards**

Snotlout and Culloden had made good progress and were now heading up the mountain using the glacier like a smooth slope. The glacier itself had narrowed drastically and Culloden had said that they were reaching its end. Eventually they reached halfway up the great mountain face and came to a large, round hollow in the mountain side and Snotlout gaped in awe at the sight before him as Culloden spoke almost reverently.

"The entrance to the Labyrinth of Lost Souls."

It had once been an immense natural cave entrance but at some point in the past someone had carved the sides and top to turn it into a massive rectangular arch. Patterns were carved skilfully into the frozen stone and Snotlout could see images of dragons hunting bears, wolves and even humans as well as flying and breathing fire. At the very top was carved the face of an immense dragon he'd never seen before with two enormous tusks curving out from the arch and it glared down at them imperiously. Beyond the arch yawned a large tunnel that was more than big enough to fit Hookfang, the huskies and the entire sled with room to spare and it stretched deep into the mountain.

Snotlout was pulled from his awestruck stare by the sound of Culloden rummaging through the packs on the sled and producing two torches which he handed to Snotlout as he spoke, "We'll need these as we'll walk from now on. Though the passage floor looks like it's covered in enough ice for the sled to come with us we should take it slow to make sure we don't miss any turnings inside. Hookfang will have to walk as will the huskies but at least we don't have to leave anything here."

Snotlout nodded and Culloden began rummaging through the packs again muttering as he did so, "Now where did I put my fire lighting stuff?"

"Don't worry about that, Sharpshot's got it."

Snotlout held out the torches to the Terror and he immediately used his fire breath to light them and Culloden smiled ruefully, "I really should have thought of that."

Snotlout just grinned and handed him one of the torches back, "Onwards and inwards?"

Culloden returned the grin, "Onwards and inwards indeed."

* * *

Stoick landed Stormfly by a certain stone dais seemingly plonked in the middle of a piece of wilderness for no reason.

It had once been deep beneath the ground in the treasure room of Hamish the Second that Hiccup had discovered and now it stood as a permanent maker for the great wealth buried beneath. They had opted to leave it buried after Hiccup had found it simply because it would've required a lot of work to uncover it all and as a village mostly concerned with self-sufficiency and survival no one really saw the need for all that gold and silver, they were all pretty practical people at heart and that much wealth would only attract pirates and other less friendly tribes to attack them so they decided it was better left buried. Now however Stoick had a very good reason to dig it up again as it might be his chance to get Snotlout back safely.

He dismounted and patted Stormfly as several other Vikings also dismounted the Academy dragons and a few others. It had taken some effort but they'd managed to convince the teen's dragons to bring them out here and had also recruited the help of some of the more friendly dragons that also inhabited the village. Stoick strode over to the large stone dais that had brought Hiccup up from the underground and looked at it thoughtfully trying to remember where his son had said the treasure had been from the dais. Eventually he took a stick and marked out a spot beyond the stone with a crude 'X' and turned to the Vikings that were unloading digging tools, "About here should do. It should roughly be above where the centre of the treasure hoard was, it's where we're most likely to uncover what we need."

The Vikings nodded and set about digging where Stoick had indicated, most of them were young men in their early twenties who had no families of their own yet so the work progressed quickly as they added a lot of youthful vigour to the labour. Soon a reasonable sized hole had been dug and the dragons helped shift the dug up earth while a couple of the Gronckles joined in with the actual digging, there was a shout from one of the young Vikings and he scrambled out of the hole and ran to Stoick who was overseeing the shifting of the debris they were creating, "Look Chief! It seems we're on the right track."

He eagerly handed something over to the chief and Stoick examined the find, it was a gold necklace embedded with a single precious gem and while only a fraction of what they needed it was a good sign and Stoick nodded approvingly, "Good work lad. Let's see if we can dig up anything else."

The man nodded and hurried back to join his fellow diggers when all work stopped at the sound of a loud roar close by.

The dragons instantly went on the alert and Stoick readied his axe as he gazed in the direction the roar had come from. There was another roar much closer than the first and the chief's grip on his axe tightened.

A Typhoomerang exploded from a nearby copse of trees and the Berkian dragons roared at it as it approached. The large dragon landed and stared down at the dragons and Vikings before it, Stoick was about to charge to defend his men when Barf and Belch gave a happy roar and ran towards the beast excitedly.

The Typhoomerang growled at them at first then suddenly relaxed and gave a happy rumble at the Zippleback and the two dragons briefly nuzzled heads. The Vikings gazed at the dragon in shock as Stoick looked at it more closely, he then realised he recognised this particular dragon and lowered his axe, "Torch?"

The Typhoomerang looked round at the sound of his given name and his eyes fell on the chief, he gave another happy rumble and came up and lowered his head to allow Stoick to scratch his chin. The chief obliged and he spoke to the others reassuringly, "It's alright lads, Torch is on our side. Let's keep digging."

They did as he said and Stoick joined them while Torch watched the proceedings with interest.

* * *

They hadn't got far into the tunnel when Snotlout and Culloden came to their first difficulty, namely a three way junction.

Culloden quickly signalled the huskies to stop and the Terrors landed on Hookfang as the dragons and Snotlout stared at the junction. One tunnel went left, another right and the third went straight ahead and they stood there wondering which way to go. Culloden regarded each option carefully before sighing, "Well this could prove difficult."

Snotlout looked up at him confused, "I thought you had directions for which path to take."

The veteran explorer shook his head, "I said I had some cryptic instructions, nothing definite. When I researched this place all I could get was an old tale about some men who came here looking for the Glacial Bloom, they'd received the instructions from their own ancestors who'd passed them down by word of mouth for generations. The instructions themselves were hardly clear and the story didn't say how they used them to get through the labyrinth. I thought it might make more sense in the labyrinth itself but it seems that was wishful thinking."

Snotlout shrugged, "Well what were they, maybe we can work them out together."

Culloden stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps you're right, putting our heads together on this may be our best chance." He pulled out a piece of parchment from within his jacket and gave a cough, "The directions take the form of a rhyme so I'll read the whole thing for you;

 _To the heart you go but take heed,_

 _Lest you fail in your noble deed._

 _At first choice flee to fear,_

 _Or face your own regretful tears._

 _Second is the heaven's fire,_

 _That flashes and burns with destructive desire._

 _Third and fourth the two that's one,_

 _And fifth the ones like the Sun._

 _Six and seven the buried ones,_

 _Eight protected by life that's done._

 _The next four all the same,_

 _Remember four to save your pain._

 _Path of sea will take you on,_

 _To the final mighty one._

 _Now you stand at the end of path,_

 _And face your final fatal task._

 _If you want life choose death,_

 _And if you want death choose life._ "

Culloden looked at Snotlout hopefully, "Any ideas."

"Not yet." Snotlout admitted, "But if we get this wrong it's not going to end well for us is it."

"Going by the rhyme I'd say so and since it's a labyrinth its likely a wrong turn will get us lost for ever."

They both looked at the three choices and Snotlout spoke worriedly, "So which one do we pick?"

* * *

 _ **PS-So what do you think of the rhyme and does anyone think they know how it helps direct them? Please let me know and I'll try and update soon.**_


	15. Puzzling Changes

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to another chapter. Here we see a bit of brain work from our intrepid questers and some emotional shifts upon Berk. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Puzzling Changes**

They remained silent for a long time pondering the three routes and the rhyme that was supposed to help them find the way but they weren't getting much further with it.

Snotlout had been wracking his brains wishing that he had Hiccup here to help solve this thing the same way he'd solved the riddles of Hamish the Second. He glimpsed something and hurried over to begin studying the walls of the middle tunnel as Culloden watched him curiously, "What are you up to little one?"

Snotlout gave an exclamation of excitement, "There's a picture of a dragon carved into the side of this tunnel!"

The man joined him and using the torchlight he examined the carved picture and Snotlout gestured to the opposite side, "There's one on that side as well."

Culloden ran his finger along the lines of the carving, "You're quite right little one. Perhaps the other tunnels have similar markings."

Snotlout had already made his way over to the right hand tunnel and he called back, "I think they do. This one shows a Monstrous Nightmare and that one," the boy gestured to the one Culloden was beside, "that's a Hideous Zippleback."

Culloden hurried over to the left hand tunnel to check if it had a carving and he gave a confirmation, "This one has a carving too but I can't say I recognise what dragon it is."

Snotlout joined him and he gazed at the unfamiliar dragon trying to work out what it was, thinking hard he remembered Arvindal's Fire and how Hiccup told them afterwards about what had happened and he answered, "It's a Flightmare. We've encountered one in Berk before but I didn't actually see it myself, Hiccup showed me a drawing of it though and it's a good match to this carving." He stepped back from the carving, "So we have a Nightmare, a Zippleback and a Flightmare." He turned to Culloden, "What were the first lines of the rhyme again?"

The adventurer promptly gave them, " _To the heart you go but take heed, Lest you fail in your noble deed._ "

"No not those ones, the next two."

" _At first choice flee to fear, Or face your own regretful tears._ "

Snotlout hummed thoughtfully, "Well this is obviously the first choice and we have a choice of three dragons. We probably have to choose the one that represents fear."

Culloden smiled, "I believe you're on the right path little one but which one of these dragons represents fear?" He gazed at the carvings and his eyes settled on the right hand one, "Maybe the Monstrous Nightmare? A nightmare is something of fear after all."

Snotlout shook his head, "I'm not sure, the Zippleback is a Fear Class dragon, though Hiccup was thinking about moving all the dragons in that class to Mystery Class, but I wouldn't say it represents fear."

They both fell silent once more as they pondered over the problem until Culloden gave voice to his thoughts, "I wonder if we've perhaps allowed ourselves to think about this slightly wrongly."

Snotlout looked at him curiously, "What do you mean?"

The man expanded his thoughts, "When we've mentioned things like the dragon names and classes we've been using our terms for these dragons."

"So?"

"So these terms are the common ones we've learned, now I've travelled around the Archipelago and of course these names and classes were all originally thought up by Bork the Bold and are quite widespread however this labyrinth is considerably older than Bork's writings. It's been in myths and tales for many centuries so it is highly unlikely that the people who carved these dragons would've known about Bork's dragon classifications and names, let alone use them."

Snotlout rubbed the back of his neck, "I think I get it they wouldn't base their clues off the dragon names and classes. So how do we go about choosing a tunnel?"

Culloden patted his shoulder encouragingly, "The dragons are still the key but I believe we need to focus on their characteristics rather than their names and classes because their nature and abilities will largely be the same as when these were carved. Now you have more experience with dragons than me so what can you tell me about these three species?"

Snotlout began rooting through his dragon knowledge, "Well Nightmares can set themselves on fire and Zipplebacks often use stealth techniques…"

"Is there anything they do that could be related to fear?"

"Well Zipplebacks sometimes try to make themselves look intimidating to scare off potential attackers and Nightmares love to make themselves look more ferocious and powerful." His eyes wandered over to the third tunnel and suddenly he gave an exclamation, "Hang on! I've just remembered something!"

"What?"

He ran back to the Flightmare carving excitedly, "When Hiccup told me about the Flightmare he said that instead of fire it sprays a kind of mist that paralyses you if you touch it. The thing is when it once came through Berk Astrid's uncle Fearless Finn Hofferson tried to fight it and when he did it looked like he became frozen with fear at the sight of it but it was just the mist. Maybe the people who carved these didn't know about the mist and just thought people became too scared to move. That the Flightmare was somehow fear itself."

Culloden came up beside him, "That's an excellent piece of deduction little one, I take you believe that this is the right tunnel then."

Snotlout nodded confidently, "I'm certain of it. Out of the three choices the Flightmare is the one that would most likely represent fear, in fact many people on Berk still consider it one of the most terrifying."

The veteran adventurer clapped a hand on Snotlout's shoulder decisively, "Very well then. Lead on little one."

The man gave him an encouraging smile and Snotlout walked forwards and soon the whole group had gone further in leaving the Flightmare behind.

* * *

It had taken a lot of work and a great deal of time but Stoick finally had the three sacks of valuables that Captain SoarBlade had demanded and he and his men had returned to Berk.

They didn't come back alone because for some reason Torch had decided to join them and seemed to be quite keen to let Stoick ride him, the chief was eager to take him up on his offer since he could carry all three of the heavy sacks and the chief himself with little effort. Mulch was waiting as they landed just at the base of the steps to the Great Hall and Stoick was quick to address him, "Any news?"

The man shook his head sadly, "Just the same as it has been for days. There's no sign of improvement in any of the children but at least we haven't lost any of them."

The chief nodded, "I see." He began to make his way to the hall, "Prepare some supplies for me, I'll take Torch and head for Spear Point Isle as soon as possible. If I can arrive before the deadline I might be able to rescue Snotlout before SoarBlade can make even more demands, I'm certain he's not going to be content with what he's already demanded."

Mulch hurried along beside him, "Are you sure you want to go alone? What if it's all one large trap?"

"That's a risk I'm going to have to take Mulch. Berk is vulnerable right now even if most of our warriors are battle ready, with the children as they are any attack could be devastating and I can't make fathers and mothers leave their children's sides now." He closed his eyes and turned his head downwards, "I know how much it will tear them apart."

Mulch gave an understanding nod, "I'll see to it Stoick." He briefly laid a hand on Stoick's back before shuffling off and the chief entered the Great Hall.

* * *

Inside was as sombre and saddening as it had been for days, rows upon rows of Berk's children lay deathly still as their families gathered round them in a constant, fearful vigil. There was no more medicine being made as it had now become completely ineffective and all anyone could do was sit, wait and pray for a miracle.

As Stoick slowly moved through the hall he saw different families trying to deal with their helplessness, Gustav's mother had lain down beside her son sobbing silently as her husband stroked his child's hair, the twins were side by side as their mother clutched their hands tightly as Johann did his best to comfort the widowed mother. Astrid's mother was knelt beside her daughter while her husband stood behind her with his hands on his shoulders, their mother was sat in a chair on Astrid's other side quietly reading a story to her unresponsive granddaughter. The Ingermans were all around Fishlegs as her mother cradled his head in her lap, his father was beside him with one arm around his wife as he held Fishlegs' hand with the other. Borik was stood next to his nephew but when he saw Stoick he made his way over to him, "Chief."

He really didn't want to at that moment but Stoick stopped and turned to the man, "What is it Borik?"

"When you go to Spear Point Isle to rescue Snotlout…" he took a deep breath, "I wish to go with you."

Stoick looked at him in shock, Borik hated Snotlout with a passion as he'd hated Spitelout before him and he couldn't understand why the man would wish to help the son of his most hated rival now, "Why?"

Borik looked down at the ground sadly and with a degree of shame, "I know that I've treated Snotlout with great hatred ever since he was born as I did with his father but over these last few days I've really been wrestling with that hatred." He looked back towards his family, "When I heard what he'd done in order to try and cure this plague and I admit that at first I didn't want to believe it but as time went by I couldn't help but look at my thoughts in a different way. As I did I found myself looking back over everything I'd ever seen of the boy and I began noticing things I'd refused to see before and I couldn't help but question my motives for being so blind and I saw why I'd kept fanning my hatred." Borik looked back to Stoick, "There's a reason I haven't married and it was because the only woman I ever wanted chose someone else." He sighed, "I thought Spitelout had somehow duped her and I hated how happy they were together, I convinced myself he'd stolen her from me and I never forgave him for it. When Snotlout was born I found my hatred grow for the boy as well, I guess I thought that Spitelout didn't deserve a family and all I saw was a child who was going to be nothing more than a copy of his father so I treated him as such." He looked down once more, "As Snotlout grew all I saw was what I told myself to and I missed so much and even when Spitelout died I couldn't let my hatred go, in fact it became worse because I convinced myself that her death was Spitelout's fault but now I understand how much I'd blinded myself." He gave a sad smile, "I think I've started to let my hatred go."

Stoick slowly took a step towards Borik and looked him straight in the eye, "What made you change your mind now?"

Borik smiled again, "Snotlout running off on a reckless quest for a possibly non-existent flower to cure all the children of Berk," he gave a short laugh and a shake of his head, "that's exactly the kind of thing Helga would've done. Charging off with little more than faith and determination. That was one of the things I loved about her the most." He looked at Stoick determinedly, "That's why I need to do something to help him now, I can't do anything to help Fishlegs but at least I can help save his friend."

Stoick gave a smile of his own and clapped his hand on Borik's shoulder, "Then I'll gladly take your help. Get a dragon and prepare to leave, we're going as soon as we can."

"Thank you chief." Borik smiled and hurried away to speak to his family and Stoick continued on his way to Hiccup's side.

His son was as deathly still as before and Toothless was still firmly by his side, the dragon looked up as Stoick approached and gave a sad warble. The chief gently scratched the Night Fury before checking Hiccup's heartbeat to find it weak but still steady, he then placed a hand on the boy's forehead, "Hang on in there son. I need to go and rescue Snotlout so you need to keep hanging on. I hate leaving you like this but I know that if you could you'd be demanding that I go and I promise to bring him back safely." He lent down and kissed Hiccup's forehead, "So please make sure you're still here when I do. I love you son."

With one more kiss to his son he stood and placed a hand on Toothless' head, "Stay with him. Keep him safe."

The dragon gently rumbled in response and Stoick nodded before turning away and leaving the Great Hall to leave for Spear Point Isle. As he left there was a call from behind him, "Chief!"

He turned to see Astrid's father running up, "I'm coming with you as well!"

Stoick tried to stop him, "But Astrid…?"

"Would give me what for if I spend my time moping at her side while one of her friends is in danger. I know a cure will be found and she would never forgive me if I didn't help you when there is little I can do for her. My wife agrees and between her and her mother Astrid is in good hands, please let me come with you."

Stoick stared him down, "Are you certain?"

He nodded firmly, "I am."

Stoick stared him down for a bit longer then nodded as well, "Very well, find a dragon and gather what you need as quickly as possible."

Astrid's father gave a small smile, "Already done, Stormfly is saddled up and ready to go down there."

He pointed down the steps and Stoick saw Stormfly waiting at their base alongside Torch, Meatlug and Borik who was already on the Gronckle's back and Stoick gave an approving smile, "Then let's get going."

Astrid's father bounced down the steps and jumped onto Stormfly's back and Stoick followed swiftly behind and mounted Torch. Immediately the Typhoomerang took to the air in his signature style and Stoick felt his adrenaline pound at the wild take off, the other two dragons followed closely behind and soon they were winging off over the ocean towards Spear Point Isle.

* * *

 _ **PS-So fairly long that chapter but I hope you all like it. Please let me know what you thought and I'll try and update soon.**_


	16. The Labyrinth of Lost Souls

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to another, much longer chapter. This one is entirely focused on Snotlout and Culloden as they push on through the Labyrinth of Lost Souls. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **The Labyrinth of Lost Souls**

Making their way through the labyrinth it wasn't long before Snotlout and Culloden came across another junction though this one only had two choices.

They both set about searching for dragon carvings and were soon rewarded as Snotlout called out excitedly from the left hand tunnel "This one looks like a Changewing!"

Culloden had been searching the right hand one and he responded, "There's a dragon carving here but again I don't recognise it."

Snotlout joined him and examined the carving for a moment, "I think that's a Skrill but I've only seen a picture of one so far, they're pretty rare."

Culloden nodded, "Well then I assume we should recheck the next two lines of our guide." He pulled out the piece of parchment that held the rhyme and read out the required lines, " _Second is the heaven's fire, That flashes and burns with destructive desire._ "

Snotlout grinned, "This one's easy. It's got to be the Skrill."

The older man looked at him in surprise, "How are you so sure?"

Snotlout shrugged, "Though I've never seen one it's one of the few dragons I've looked into, Skrills are about the coolest of dragons." There was a disgruntled growl behind him and he quickly added, "Excluding Hookfang of course." The Nightmare gave a satisfied rumble and Snotlout continued his explanation, "Skrills are characterised by their ability to use lightning in their attacks instead of fire and can apparently ride lightning bolts to reach incredible speeds. Lightning flashes down from the sky and pretty much destroys anything it touches and burns it kind of like a fire so the only dragon here that uses lightning is the Skrill so that has to be the answer."

Culloden smiled, "I'm quite impressed little one. At this rate we'll be through here in no time."

Snotlout rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Well I am a dragon trainer."

The adventurer patted his shoulder and they headed off down the tunnel of the Skrill. They travelled for a long time before they came to the next junction which had four branches and they quickly located the dragon carvings, "So we have a Monstrous Nightmare, a Deadly Nadder, a Hideous Zippleback and what looks like a Gronckle but it seems slightly different from how Gronckles normally look."

Culloden grinned, "Well I believe I've solved this one already."

It was Snotlout's turn to be surprised, "What? How!?"

" _Third and fourth the two that's one,_ " he recited, "It's clearly the Zippleback, a dragon with two heads attached to one body or 'the two that's one'. The line tells us that for this junction and the next one we take the path of the Zippleback."

The teen grinned, "Wow! That makes a lot of sense." His grin turned mischievous, "So that's 2-1 to me right?"

Culloden gave a mock frown at his young companion, "We're not keeping score little one." He then smiled himself, "If we were it would be 2-2 seeing as I was the one that discovered the rhyme in the first place."

As he began walking on down the Zippleback tunnel he heard Snotlout spluttering indignantly behind him, "Hang on, that's not fair! You can't count that towards your score!"

The adventurer laughed as he pressed on down the tunnel and soon they came to another junction and took the Zippleback route again. After another stretch they came to a five way junction and they stopped once more to check the carvings and Snotlout reeled them off, "So we have another Zippleback, a Nightmare, a Thunderdrum, a Terrible Terror and what looks like a Fireworm. What's the clue for this junction?"

" _And fifth the ones like the Sun._ " Culloden promptly answered.

Snotlout scratched the back of his head, "I guess we can dismiss the Zippleback straight away since it's unlikely to be the answer again and possibly the Thunderdrum as well because it doesn't really have anything that resembles the Sun. Personally I'm opting for the Fireworm seeing as it's skin is supposed to burn with intense heat like the Sun." He looked up at Culloden, "What do you think?"

The man hummed in agreement, "I'm inclined to agree with you little one. I've seen Fireworms before and their skin is so hot they can set light to things just by touching it. The only other dragon it could be is the Nightmare because of the flame coat ability you mentioned but I wouldn't say that makes them like the Sun."

"So Fireworm then?"

The explorer nodded, "Indeed, let us continue on."

They headed on down the Fireworm tunnel and Snotlout spoke, "So do we count that as a draw?"

Culloden looked thoughtful, "I think I might be generous and give that one to you. You did mention the answer first after all."

"So that's 3-1 to me then?"

"3-2 little one."

"I'm not counting finding the rhyme itself, I wasn't in a position to do that bit."

The adventurer chuckled at his young friend as they came to yet another junction which had three branches. They quickly checked for carvings only to find something odd with them.

"They're all Whispering Deaths!"

After his exclamation Snotlout looked around the tunnels worriedly, "How do we know which is the right one?"

Culloden pulled out the rhyme thoughtfully, "Let's see now. _Six and seven the buried ones, Eight protected by life that's done._ " He looked at the tunnels, "There must be a hint in there somewhere that points in the right direction."

Snotlout shook his head, "I'm not sure what though, Whispering Deaths burrow into the ground which might make them the buried ones but since all the tunnels have Whispering Deaths I'm not sure which one to pick."

Culloden had been examining the carvings closely and he tapped one in particular, "It's this one."

Snotlout hurried over, "Are you sure?"

The veteran adventure explained his reasoning, "Though all the carvings are similar this one has one glaring difference." He pointed to a line carved above the dragon picture, "On all the other carvings this line sits below the dragon but on this one it sits above. Now I believe that this line represents the ground so the other dragons are above it but this dragon is beneath it, this puts it underground or, as the rhyme says, buried."

Snotlout ran his hand along the carving in amazement, "So it has to be this passage because it's the only one where the Whispering Death is shown as buried."

"Indeed little one," the man smiled, "and I believe that puts us even at 3-3."

He began heading down the passage with Snotlout's cry sounding behind him, "3-2! Its 3-2!"

Culloden just grinned back and soon Snotlout caught up to him again and they made their way down the tunnel and through another junction with a buried Whispering Death and down yet another tunnel until they reached a four way junction. Thankfully this one had different dragons on each tunnel again and Snotlout managed to identify them all, "Right, we've got a Terror, a Scauldron, a Boneknapper and another one of those weird Gronckles. What's the clue?"

" _Eight protected by life that's done._ "

Snotlout pondered the line and the carvings for a moment or two before he suddenly clapped his hands together, "I've got it!" He grinned at his companion, "It's the Boneknapper. They're known for building an outer armour from dragon bones which it can only get from dead dragons."

"Excellent work little one. That now puts you at 4-3."

"4-2! We're still not counting finding the rhyme."

Culloden laughed and clapped the boy on his shoulder, "Shall we continue? I think we're now getting much closer."

They walked confidently down the Boneknapper tunnel with the dragons and huskies close behind, they briefly paused to replace their well burnt down torches but soon reached the next junction. This one had eight exits and Snotlout took a while to identify all the dragon carvings, "Okay, we have a Nightmare, a Nadder, a Zippleback, a Terror, a Skrill, a Typhoomerang, a Thunderdrum and a Snaptrapper. So what do we have to work with?"

Culloden had now learned the rhyme off by heart and no longer needed to read it, " _Next four all the same, Remember four to save your pain._ "

"So I guess that means if we get this right the three junctions after this will be the same answer but what else is it telling us?"

Culloden snorted, "Now we've worked out the system this rhyme is actually becoming quite easy, this answer is obvious."

Snotlout looked at him in confusion, "It is?"

"Of course it is. It's the same as the Zippleback answer earlier only this time the number we're after is four making it the Snaptrapper. I can quite clearly see from here that it has four heads and it's the only one of the choices that does so." Culloden gave his young friend a smug smile, "And that means we're tied once more."

Snotlout folded his arms defiantly, "No we're not."

Amused by the boy's stubbornness, Culloden led the way down the Snaptrapper tunnel and through three more junctions to the next stage of the rhyme's clues. This junction was smaller with only two options and Snotlout quickly identified the dragons as a Scauldron and a Typhoomerang. After only a couple of moments of thought Culloden reached the answer first, "It's the Scauldron."

Snotlout crossed his arms and pouted, "I was just about to say that!"

Culloden grinned in amusement at the boy, "So I assume you came to that conclusion because the rhyme says ' _Path of sea will take you on, To the final mighty one._ '"

The teen nodded, "Yep, Scauldrons are Tidal Class dragons which are named that because they live in the sea." He grinned slyly, "Now you can say we're tied."

Culloden kept a perfectly straight face as he answered, "No I believe this puts me in the lead. Now let's keep following the 'path of sea' until we reach the 'final mighty one'. I must confess I'm looking forward to meeting him."

They moved forward at a quicker pace only slowing at junctions to check which route to take, Thunderdrum, Scauldron, Tide Glider, Sea Shocker, another Scauldron, Thunderdrum again…and so on until they came before a single massive carving blocking the tunnel onwards and Snotlout gazed at it in awe, "I'm guessing that's the 'final mighty one'."

The carving was dominated by a massive visage of the same dragon that had been carved above the entrance of the labyrinth. With an imperious gaze and massive tusks it struck an intimidating sight that made Snotlout feel like he should bow before it. Beneath the dragon on either side were carved two identical flowers, with long thin stems and four spear shaped petals, two long leaves stood from their base reaching almost as high as the flower heads themselves that crossed over at the centre of the carving. Beneath the flower heads was carved a smaller dragon with its wings outstretched and a ferocious snarl on its face and Snotlout recognised it instantly, "That's a Night Fury!"

The carving was an almost perfect picture of Toothless when he was really angry and it couldn't be any other dragon but a Night Fury, Culloden gestured to the flowers either side, "I'm assuming these are the Glacial Bloom so it appears we have indeed reached the final part of the labyrinth. The Glacial Bloom itself must be just beyond here."

"But how do we get by the carving?"

The adventurer answered, "By solving the rest of the rhyme." He recited the last lines, " _Now you stand at end of path, And face your final fatal task. If you want life choose death, And if you want death choose life._ "

"That doesn't sound promising."

Culloden ignored Snotlout's comment as he studied the carving, he eventually stepped back from where he'd been next to it and gave it an impressed look, "This carving is actually one massive door. If we work out the mechanism we should be able to open it and the rhyme must tell us how to do that."

Snotlout looked thoughtful, "Well we're at the 'end of path' but I'm not so sure about the whole 'final fatal task' thing."

"I believe that particular line is just poetic or it means it'll be fatal if we get it wrong. The next two lines are the real clue."

" _If you want life choose death,_ " Snotlout started.

" _And if you want death choose life._ " Culloden finished.

They both stared at the carving trying to find meaning in the words when something caught Snotlout's eye. He walked over to the Night Fury carving and peered into its snarling mouth, "There's something inside the mouth. It looks some sort of small lever."

Culloden joined him and also peered in, "You're quite right little one." His eyes drifted upwards to the flower heads above, "And I think these flower heads can be pressed in. Perhaps we have to activate both the flowers and the lever at the same time."

Snotlout stood back, "No, I don't think so." He stared up at the carving, "The rhyme speaks of a choice and if I understand it correctly it tells you to choose the opposite of what you want. We want the Glacial Bloom that is said to cure anything so it kind of represents life but the Night Fury is also here and it's been carved to look like it could kill us at any moment which I think is very deliberate." He looked at Culloden, "Now this is a bit…out there but I think I'm right." He came back to the Night Fury carving and stared at it, "Now in Bork's writings he never had anything on Night Furies, not even a picture, but he did say that it was the unholy offspring of lightning and death. I know that you said that the people who carved this wouldn't use Bork's names, classes and everything else but what if for the Night Fury he got the little information he had from elsewhere, from a people who remembered something from their ancestors about the Night Fury."

Culloden stared at Snotlout curiously, "You think Bork wrote that the Night Fury was the offspring of lightning and death because he heard it from someone else in his travels?"

"Exactly, all his other notes and writings were largely based off his observations but no-one in Berk's history had ever even seen a Night Fury before Hiccup shot down Toothless so where else could have that bit of information come from." He gestured to the carving, "The people who carved this had obviously seen a Night Fury before and they've made it look as aggressive as possible. Maybe they found it so terrifying they thought it was like death itself and that thought carried on through their descendants until Bork heard about it."

Culloden gazed at the carving in wonder, "So the Night Fury is death."

"Yes." Snotlout confirmed, "That means we need to use the lever inside the Night Fury's mouth in order to open the door, we choose death."

Culloden nodded decisively, "Very well." He waved Snotlout back, "Move back little one in case you're wrong. I can't let anything happen to you."

Snotlout obediently stood back and Culloden reached into the Night Fury's mouth, he glanced back at the teen and grinned, "You better be right about this."

In one motion he pulled the lever.

* * *

 _ **PS-HA! Cliff-hanger! Please let me know what you thought and I'll try and update soon.**_


	17. Heart

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and here is the next chapter. Again it's entirely focused on Snotlout and Culloden but it is Snotlout's story so it should be expected. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Heart**

When Culloden pulled the lever Snotlout tensed waiting for something to happen.

There was a series of clunks and then, with a low rumble that shook the entire tunnel, the whole carving moved downwards into the floor. Hookfang had covered Snotlout with his body when the rumbling started and a few rocks and some dust fell from the ceiling onto him as the ancient door opened for the first time in centuries. The huskies howled worriedly but remained where they were, Culloden had jumped back from the carving the moment he'd activated it and he calmed the scared dogs while the Terror's flocked around Snotlout in the safety of Hookfang's wings.

Eventually the tunnel stopped shaking as the carving lowered fully into the floor and everyone stared in amazement at the world that lay beyond.

The first thing that struck them was all the green they could see and the second was the warmth. It was a huge cavern with its ceiling open to the sky above and the mountain surrounded the whole area with formidable stone walls. While there were no trees there were plants everywhere, tall ferns, bushes and so many others that they covered everywhere, even right up the walls on small ledges and clefts in the rock. Pools of water bubbled vigorously and were connected by channels, some natural while others were man made. The pools steamed like water in a cooking pot and it seemed that the warmth of the area was coming from these pools.

They entered the mountain's green heart gazing about in wonder at the lushness around them as the Terrors flew around this new world excitedly, the huskies settled down near the way they'd entered and rested while Hookfang remained with Snotlout as he wandered around the cavern with Culloden.

As they walked they saw signs of human construction such as ruined walls and steps, the most intact construction was a large stone dais with some sort of altar that stood before a massive pool at the centre of the cavern which also bubbled and steamed like the others. Culloden eyed the pool in wonder, "That's the largest hot spring I've ever seen."

"Hot spring?"

Culloden gave Snotlout a brief explanation, "There are places in the world where water naturally bubbles out of the earth hot. Some people believe such springs have healing properties and other magical attributes and there can be many legends about them. These springs are probably the reason this place can exist this far north and the people who mapped and placed those carvings in the labyrinth may have believed this place to be sacred." He began to examine the altar, "Now this is interesting."

Snotlout had been staring at the pool and he hurried over to Culloden's side, "What is?"

The explorer was running his fingers over the carvings on the altar and he began indicating sections of it to the boy, "This here is another carving of that tusked dragon but look at what's in front of it."

Snotlout looked at the carving and saw the tusked dragon from the entrance but from the side instead of the front, it was facing left and looking directly at a rectangle with another shape on top of it, behind that was a carving of a man bowing towards the dragon and Snotlout understood what Culloden was getting at, "The people who made this worshipped dragons."

Culloden nodded, "It certainly looks that way or they at least worshipped that one, enough to present it with offerings. Do you know what dragon it is?"

Snotlout shook his head, "Never seen anything like it, not even in the Book of Dragons. It's kind of like the Red Death but that dragon didn't have those huge tusks and the body shape is all wrong."

"The Red Death?"

"A huge dragon that could control other dragons, it forced them to bring it food and if they didn't bring enough they got eaten. That's why they used to raid us all the time but this one doesn't look anything like it."

Their examination of the altar was interrupted by a loud roar and they both spun in its direction to see Iggy rapidly flying towards them. The Terror gave several urgent chirps and Snotlout ran after him as he turned and flapped back the way he came. The little dragon led him around the edge of the massive hot spring to its other side and Snotlout ploughed through a particularly thick tangle of plant life and tumbled into a large clear area filled with long grass with Hookfang and Culloden close behind. The rest of the Terrors were ahead of him sitting on the grass with their attention fully on the clearing's other inhabitant.

A Skrill.

Snotlout hadn't seen one before but he recognised it from its picture in the book of dragons and this one had the most of the hallmarks of a Skrill. The powerful body was patterned dark and orange and its wings were outstretched as it stood on its two legs in an effort to look intimidating, something on its chest caught Snotlout's eye and he saw some sort of design on its left hand side. Before he saw it properly the Skrill gave another loud roar before collapsing on its front as one of its legs seemed to just give way, Snotlout took a step forward and the dragon growled dangerously causing him to stop. The Skrill stopped growling but kept his eyes warily fixed on the boy, the Terrors had moved back and were now gathered round Snotlout protectively and the teen signalled them to move further back. Sneaky and Pain were objective at first until Sharpshot gave a commanding growl and they moved back to where Culloden was watching the whole thing, the adventurer spoke quietly, "What are you up to little one?"

"I think he's injured, I'm going to try and get closer to find out." He took another step forward but Hookfang grabbed the back of his coat and gave some worried growls but Snotlout gently shoved him away, "It's alright Hookfang, I can do this."

The Nightmare gave a disagreeing whine but released his hold and allowed his rider to take another step forward, as he took another the Skrill growled again and he stopped. Slowly and carefully Snotlout took the knife Culloden had given him from where it was strapped to his waist and very obviously threw it behind him out of reach, he stepped forward again and while he kept a close eye on the boy the Skrill didn't growl. Step by step Snotlout closed the gap between them until he was standing right in front of the dragon, he slowly knelt down before him and reached out a hand. The Skrill gave a small growl at this but stopped when Snotlout stopped his hand just before he touched the dragon's skin. The boy then closed his eyes and looked down away from the dragon and waited.

Then in one magic moment the Skrill closed the last few inches and placed his head against Snotlout's open palm.

The boy looked up and smiled and he brought his other hand up to scratch the dragon under the chin, the Skrill rumbled contentedly and Snotlout spoke softly, "Well big guy, let's see what's wrong with you."

He carefully made his way around the dragon keeping a comforting hand on his scales and soon he found himself beside the legs, he was pleasantly surprised when the dragon raised his wings to give him a better look and soon he saw the problem. The left hand leg had a massive cut right down it and it looked like it was infected. Snotlout cautiously touched around the wound and quickly retracted his hand when the Skrill let out a disgruntled growl, the dragon settled and turned over slightly allowing him better access to the injury. As he did so he revealed the odd mark on the left side of his chest and Snotlout recognised it for what it was.

A brand and of a symbol he'd seen very recently.

He looked at the dragon's face, "You were captured by those pirates too?"

The Skrill rumbled in answer and Snotlout turned his attention back to the wound, it was clearly made by a weapon and the teen was certain that it must have been received in the pirate's arena that he and Hookfang escaped from. When Snotlout wasn't sure but it was likely that this dragon escaped when they did, he hadn't been paying much attention to what dragons he released so he might have missed the Skrill in the confusion. The dragon probably flew north and used the cavern's open ceiling to fly in to rest as it was the only relatively safe spot in the Ice Wastes, unfortunately the wound became infected somewhere along the way and he needed to attend to it as soon as possible.

He looked round at Culloden who was still standing where he'd left him staring in awe at Snotlout and the Skrill, the teen called back to him, "Culloden, do you have anything to help dress this guy's wound?"

* * *

It had taken a lot of time and effort with a fairly uncooperative dragon but Snotlout eventually managed to get the Skrill's leg cleaned and bandaged.

Hookfang had proven invaluable in this regard since after Snotlout initially gained the Skrill's trust the Nightmare seemed to quickly become the other dragon's friend, whether this was because the Skrill had taken a liking to Snotlout and Hookfang was Snotlout's dragon was unknown but the Nightmare had helped keep the Skrill calm through the more painful parts of Snotlout's ministrations. The Skrill hadn't been that keen on Culloden to begin with and often growled at the man to keep him away with but as the explorer helped more he began to be less wary.

Eventually the task was done and Snotlout patted his the dragon on the head, "There you go Hunterbolt, give it time and that leg will be as good as new."

The newly named Hunterbolt rumbled happily and nuzzled his new friend happily, there was a joking rumble of discontent from Hookfang and Hunterbolt mischievously nuzzled the teen even more. Culloden watched from a distance and he shook his head in amazement, "I can't believe you managed to gain that dragon's trust so easily."

Snotlout shrugged as he scratched Hunterbolt under the chin, "I think having Hookfang and the Terrors around helped a lot, besides I only know how to befriend a dragon because of Hiccup. He's the real expert at it, there's something about him that lots of dragons seem to love."

He patted the Skrill once more before standing up from where he'd been crouching, "Now to find the Glacial Bloom, it has to be somewhere around here and I need to get it back to Berk as soon as possible."

"Indeed little one, I must confess that I'd been so distracted by you and that dragon I nearly forgot what you're here for. We must find that flower without delay but this cavern is huge it could take ages to find it here."

"Maybe not." Snotlout rummaged through some of they'd got the medicinal supplies from and pulled out a blank sheet of parchment, he quickly scribbled something on it and then called over Iggy. The Terror flew over from where he and the others had been resting nearby and landed on Snotlout's shoulder, the teen held up the parchment revealing a drawing of the flower that had been on the entrance carving and tapped it. Recognising the signal the Terror chirped and took flight and began a search of the cavern from the air, the other Terrors joined him and soon they were all flying about hunting for the flower. Snotlout smiled at their excellent teamwork before addressing his dragon, "Hey Hookfang, can you stay here with Hunterbolt? We need to find this flower."

The Nightmare gave an agreeing growl and Snotlout smiled, "Thanks Fangster."

There was a chirping noise and Head and Butt flew down and gave a series of growls to Snotlout before flying off again, the teen ran after them with Culloden close behind and they headed further into the cavern. Skirting bushes and scrambling over boulders and ruined walls they hurried on until they came to a largely intact wall, Head and Butt led them to a stone arch leading inside and they headed on through after them only to suddenly stop at the sight beyond.

It was a large circular area enclosed within the stone wall, at its centre was what must have been another shrine where the rest of the Terrors were perched. Everywhere else was filled with pale blue flowers with spear shaped petals that reminded those who looked upon them of the cold beauty of ice, tall green leaves sprouted from their roots and each petal had a thin golden vain running up its centre. He'd never seen them before and there was nothing to back his conclusion but Snotlout was certain that he knew exactly what they were.

The Glacial Bloom.

* * *

 _ **PS-Yes I did nick Hunterbolt from the Rise of Berk game but Snotlout befriending a Skrill is pretty cool and it made sense to use that one. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	18. Homeward Bound

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 18. We get to see a bit more of what's happening with the others this time around and what's going on at Berk. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Homeward Bound**

Snotlout was flanked by two dragons as he sat by a fire Culloden had created.

When they'd found the Glacial Bloom Snotlout was all for gathering up as many of the flowers as possible and leaving straight away but Culloden convinced him to wait for at least a few hours. He'd explained that although he knew Snotlout had to get back to Berk soon he was also aware that they didn't really know how long it had been since they'd set out together, with the constant daylight and being in the labyrinth for part of their journey it was impossible to tell how many days had passed so both Hookfang and Snotlout needed to rest before embarking on the long flight south, especially since the teen's wounds hadn't fully healed yet. Snotlout had eventually seen the wisdom in the man's words and agreed to rest for a short while, Hunterbolt seemed particularly happy with this and since the Skrill couldn't really move anywhere yet they built their fire near him.

Snotlout had ended up sat between him and Hookfang and Culloden was sat across from him, they sat in a comfortable silence for a long time until Snotlout finally spoke, "Are you going to make back from here okay?"

The explorer smiled, "Don't worry little one, it'll be simple enough to find my way back through the labyrinth and I know where to head from there. It'll take me a lot longer than you but I'll be fine." He looked around at their surroundings, "I'll probably spend a few days here first and see what else I can find, it's an incredible place."

Snotlout smiled at that, "It is."

* * *

He didn't remember falling asleep but Snotlout found himself waking up snuggled between Hookfang and Hunterbolt.

Extracting himself he saw that Culloden wasn't around and the fire had long since burnt out, he didn't have time to wonder where the explorer had gone before he appeared carrying several of the satchels Snotlout had brought all the way from Berk. The man grinned, "Ah good, I was going to wake you myself but it looks like you've woken up yourself just in time." He held up the satchels, "I woke up before you did so I took the time to fill these up with as many of those flowers as possible, now you can leave right after you've eaten."

The meal was brief and quiet and soon Snotlout was loading Hookfang up with the precious flower and supplies kindly given to him by Culloden, when the Nightmare was fully loaded Snotlout turned to the man who'd given him so much help a slightly sad look on his face, "Well, we're all set."

Truthfully Snotlout didn't want to leave the explorer like this but he needed to get back to Berk soon. They'd already lost so much time getting here and he was certain all the children back at the village didn't have much of that left, they had to leave now.

The man smiled and patted Snotlout's shoulder, "We'll meet again little one. I'm actually thinking of heading south again and visiting Berk, to actually see your village with all its dragons is an opportunity I can't miss. It might take a few months but I'll manage it."

Snotlout brightened, "Really?"

"Really." Culloden grinned, "I've been in these Ice Wastes long enough. I think it's time I headed somewhere with greenery that's not hidden inside a mountain beyond a labyrinth." He held out his hand, "Until next time little one."

Snotlout took his hand and shook it firmly, "Until next time."

They released hands and Snotlout swiftly mounted Hookfang, as the Nightmare stood ready to fly Hunterbolt also carefully stood and flapped his wings. Snotlout looked at him worriedly, "Hunterbolt?"

The Skrill gave a small roar and Culloden chuckled, "I think he wants to go with you."

"But his leg…"

"Isn't needed for flying. I'm sure that Skrill will manage just fine so long as he is careful on take-offs and landings, I'm also pretty certain he's not going to take no for an answer."

Snotlout saw the Skrill's determined expression and he gave a sigh, "I guess you're right. Okay then Hunterbolt, let's go!"

The dragon roared and carefully took-off, Hookfang and the Terrors weren't far behind and soon they were heading up towards the cavern's open roof and the sky beyond. Looking back Snotlout saw Culloden waving to them as he called up, "Good luck little one and stay safe."

Snotlout called back, "You too Culloden. We'll see you again one day."

The dragons flew out of the cavern and above the mountain, spotting the glacier that had guided them here they turned in its direction and followed its path back towards the south.

* * *

The three Vikings had largely remained silent as they flew towards Spear Point Isle. It was a fairly long trip that required a brief stopover so the dragons could rest and it was mid-morning of the day after the one they left on when they saw it on the horizon.

The island sat at what was roughly the border between the Archipelago and the northern waters and was the last 'safe' isle for anyone heading north. It was so named because its shape resembled the point of a spear and it was one of the last islands that had plenty of trees and greenery on it before the rugged, stone isles beyond.

Before landing they gave the isle a once over from the air and Stoick was pleased to see no sign of the pirates. If they weren't here yet it meant he had time to plan a way to rescue Snotlout without resorting to bartering, he would if he had to but he also knew that if he gave in then the pirates would have more demands and they wouldn't just hand Snotlout back so he needed to get his nephew away from them to keep him safe and remove the enemy's advantage.

Satisfied with what they saw they flew down and landed on the isle and let the dragons have a much needed rest. As the dragons took the chance to sleep Stoick, Borik and Astrid's father began a ground reconnaissance of the isle's woods to double check it was clear. They had gone some way when a man appeared out of nowhere, "The Captain said ye'd turn up Stoick the Vast."

The three Berkians readied their weapons as more pirates swarmed out of the woods and surrounded them and the first man grinned maliciously, "I'm afraid the Captain isn't here to greet ye 'imself but 'e 'ad other matters to attend to. You'll just 'ave to make do with us."

Stoick growled, "Where is Snotlout?"

The man's grin grew wider, "Not 'ere."

With a loud yell the pirates charged and the Vikings braced for the fight.

* * *

Captain SoarBlade smiled to himself as he dined on deck with the elderly man who looked after Snotlout during his captivity serving him.

His scouts had just reported that Berk wasn't far away and that Stoick had been seen heading north on a dragon with two others. The chief had missed them because they'd swung eastwards to avoid his flightpath and they were now heading south around Berk to approach it from that direction instead of north. It took longer but SoarBlade wasn't too bothered by that, he was confident that those he'd left on Spear Point Isle would slay Stoick easily and with his plan the already weakened Berk would fall easily.

He looked up as one of his crewmembers approached, "Ah Fredrick, I wish to give you a very important task when we attack Berk."

The man gave a brief salute, "What do you wish me to do Captain?"

"When we begin our assault I want you to take a small team of skilled men and approach Berk undetected, with our attack distracting them it should prove easy for you. From there you are to make your way to the Great Hall, a large building carved into the mountain behind the village. Inside is where they are keeping all their sick children and you are to take this building. With all the fighters occupied with us there won't be many for you to deal with and once you have the Great Hall we'll have all of Berk. They won't risk anything with their precious children as hostages allowing me to take Berk and all its riches easily, do you understand?"

Fredrick nodded, "I do Captain. I'll start selecting my men immediately."

"Good, do this right and you'll be richly rewarded."

The man gave another salute and marched off and SoarBlade smirked to himself as he remarked to the old man, "When that boy Snotlout returns home he'll find it completely under my control and then he'll pay for releasing all my dragons and making me look like a fool. Ooh how he'll pay."

The old man poured him a goblet of wine, "Your plan is good but don't focus too far ahead. Sometimes things happen that you couldn't predict and ruin everything."

SoarBlade took a long drink from the goblet, "I'm well aware of that. After all you were the one that taught me everything I know." He smiled up at the man, "Father."

* * *

 _ **PS-So Snotlout is finally heading home with the Glacial Bloom but will he actually have a home to return to? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	19. Into Battle

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter. A nice amount of action this time around for you all as things begin to heat up. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Into Battle**

Pushing south Snotlout and his party of dragons had made good progress.

They had only stopped for the minimum amount of rest before flying on again as Snotlout didn't want to waste any more time as he was feeling a burning need to get back to Berk. As they'd travelled a feeling of foreboding had grown in him and he'd was certain something terrible was about to happen to his home, he wasn't sure what it was but he was sure of it. Their hard pace actually brought them out of the Ice Wastes in record time and it wasn't very long before they were beyond the places of endless daylight and night began to appear again. It was odd at first seeing darkness once more and Snotlout hadn't realised how much he'd actually missed the day-night cycle, it did little to lessen their speed though and sea, rocks and islands disappeared behind them as they zoomed over them.

Without the issues of being captured by pirates, caught in snowstorms and attacked by polar bears the journey back was taking a fraction of the time than it had going there and it was only a couple of days before they were flying over the island they'd been captured on. Knowing they were only two days away Hookfang somehow increased his speed and drew on all his strength and stamina to keep going.

In less than a day they flew over Spear Point Isle but such was their speed they didn't notice what was playing out on the isle below them.

* * *

It had been a long fight.

When they'd been initially attacked Stoick and his two warriors had fought with incredible ferocity and smashed their way through the enemy ranks. They'd immediately gone for their dragons but found that the pirates had ambushed and captured them while they were resting, with no means of escape they were forced temporarily retreat and hide so they could find a way to get the battle in their favour.

Some narrow-minded Vikings would have called it cowardice but Stoick was an experienced warrior and he knew that retreating now gave them breathing space to find a way to decide where and when they should fight later, having control of such things could mean the difference between life and death. Right now they were dangerously outnumbered and while hit and run tactics could help with this normally they didn't know the isle well enough to make it work properly and it was too small anyway. The big game changer for them would be releasing the dragons, it would double their numbers and give them superior fire power as well so Stoick focused on that goal.

Borik and Astrid's father were on watch leaving Stoick to come up with a plan and he'd just thought of one when Borik appeared, "Stoick they've found us!"

The chief sprung to his feet grabbing his axe and he and Borik joined Astrid's father who was already fighting their foe. Charging in to support their comrade they soon beat the attackers back but more materialised behind him, they turned to face them only to have the first lot charge back in and they were surrounded again. Borik let out a cry and stumbled back with a fresh slash wound on his arm, "Damn it!"

"Are you okay!?"

The man countered another opponent as he answered, "Don't worry chief. I can still fight!"

Stoick grabbed one of the pirates and flung him at his comrades, "Good! Now's not the time to go soft!"

"Wouldn't dream of it chief!"

Astrid's father did a particularly fancy disarmament with his sword and caught an enemy's and he began dual wielding both blades, "Borik, soft!? Never going to happen!"

Fishlegs' uncle took out a pirate with a solid crack to the jaw, "Unlike you mate! I didn't know you could still wield a weapon!"

Astrid's father took out two enemies at once, "Where do you think Astrid got it from!? Certainly not her mother!"

Borik disarmed two more foes, "She got her looks though! Which is a very good thing considering how ugly you are!"

The Hofferson knocked a pirate out cold with a fancy kick, "Watch it Ingerman! I might just reconstruct your face with a mace for that one!"

Stoick had a hold of one of their attackers and was swinging the man around like a flail sending other pirates flying, "Good to see you two bantering with each other while we're fighting for our lives!"

The fight raged on but soon the three warriors began to be overcome by superior numbers and were beginning to flag. The pirates knew this and they pressed in trying to bring them down and they were about to claim victory when a loud roar was heard from the sky and a sonic wave blasted enemies into the air. Stoick stared in shock as Gobber swooped in on Thornado roaring ferociously, "COME AND GET SOME!"

Torch, Stormfly and Meatlug flew in after him and soon fire was raining down everywhere sending pirates scattering, some of them beating out flames on their clothing. Stoick saw their leader trying to escape and he pounded after the man and took him out with a flying tackle and pinned him to the ground.

As the chief mercilessly ground his prisoner's face against the earth he growled out dangerously, "Tell me everything."

* * *

It was dusk when Snotlout finally saw Berk on the horizon and he patted Hookfang joyfully, "There it is Fangster! We're almost there."

The Nightmare roared happily as Hunterbolt flew alongside and gave an answering roar of his own. Snotlout grinned at the dragons but his smile soon fell when he saw the ships around his home, ships marked with a familiar symbol.

"The pirates!"

Suddenly Hookfang was forced to swoop to the side as a bola came whizzing past, the air filled with nets, bolas, spears and arrows and the dragons were so hard pushed dodging them they couldn't make any forward progress. Knowing they were outmatched Snotlout called out to his dragon, "Hookfang, we need to retreat!"

The Nightmare roared in anger but turned and flew back the way they'd come and Snotlout got him to land on a nearby sea stack out of range. The boy dismounted and kicked at the rock in frustration, he was so close! Hookfang gave a worried rumble and Snotlout ran a hand down his face, Hookfang could destroy the ships easily with some careful flying and the element of surprise but he was carrying the Glacial Bloom. They couldn't risk the only cure for Berk's children but they couldn't get past the ships either, even at night they wouldn't fly over them unseen so they had to get rid of them or at least their weapons before they could reach Berk.

He sighed and Hookfang nudged him, the teen patted his dragon's snout, "What do we do Hookfang? We need to get these flowers to Berk."

Pain settled on his shoulder and gave a little rumble in his ear, the other Terrors landed in front of him and Sharpshot looked up and gave a small roar. Hunterbolt landed beside Hookfang (his leg had greatly improved over the last couple of days) and gave a rumble of his own before nuzzling Snotlout's side.

The boy smiled at them as an idea came into his mind, "Thanks guys." He looked right at his dragon, "Hookfang I need you to do something really important for me." He scratched his friend under the chin, "I'm going to distract the pirates with Hunterbolt and the Terrors. I need you to get to the Great Hall with those flowers. Understand?"

The Nightmare gave a distressed growl and tried to shake his head but Snotlout held it firmly as he stared straight into the dragon's eyes, "You have to do this Hookfang, those flowers need to get to Berk and all the children." He smiled, "I'll be fine but this needs to be done, okay?"

Hookfang nodded his head reluctantly before nuzzling his rider and Snotlout petted his snout, "Thanks Hookfang. You sneak by while we distract them and head straight for the Great Hall."

The boy turned from his friend and addressed the Skrill, "You okay to give me a lift?"

Hunterbolt crouched down and allowed Snotlout to mount him, once he was secure on the dragon's back the teen signalled the Terrors and they flew low towards the pirate ships.

* * *

 _ **PS-Snotlout on a Skrill! Is that awesome or what!? Please let me know what you thought and I'll update soon.**_


	20. Distract, Defend and Defeat

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello and welcome to another chapter. This one is full of action as it's basically the battle at Berk and you see it from several points. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Distract, Defend and Defeat**

The darkness of night was their ally as Snotlout and the Terrors flew silently towards their enemy. Hunterbolt was proving he could fly very stealthily when needed and their approach was as noticeable as shadows.

Snotlout gave a couple of hand signals and the Terrors broke away in two groups to target different ships, Pain, Sharpshot and Iggy went one way and Sneaky, Head and Butt went the other while Snotlout and Hunterbolt took one to themselves. They were now close enough that the pirates would easily notice the Skrill so Snotlout and Hunterbolt made their move.

* * *

Captain SoarBlade was on the deck of his ship having been told that the boy who'd escaped him had been seen. Determined to be the one to deal with the boy himself he'd joined his men in keeping watch for a second attempt from the boy to get past them and on to Berk. His other ships were focused on their assault of the village and as expected the Vikings were defending themselves well, however Soarblade had already sent Fredrick's team to the island so it was only a matter of time before he gained control of the fight by using Berk's children as hostages.

His watchful eyes picked up the approach of a dragon through the darkness and he was about to alert his men when it released a terrible roar.

Like it was a signal small explosions sounded from the other ships as the pirates were caught off-guard, before SoarBlade could do anything about it the dragon shot into the air and fired down bolts of lightning striking all over the vessel. In the light created by the attack SoarBlade clearly saw the boy that had escaped him on the beast's back and he let out an enraged snarl, "DAMN YOU!"

* * *

Snotlout heard the captain's scream and he looked down and saw him ordering his men to focus on Hunterbolt, as weapons of all kinds were fired or thrown the Skrill let loose another roar and more lightning. The dragon seemed to be enjoying himself immensely and Snotlout wasn't sure how he hadn't been shocked yet, he could feel his hair standing on end and the energy crackling around them but somehow Hunterbolt prevented it from harming his rider.

The Skrill threw down more lightning bolts striking several of the launchers and reducing them to charred pieces, SoarBlade was hopping up and down in fury screaming at his men to bring the dragon down but their attempts proved futile. On the other ships they weren't faring much better as the Terrors wreaked havoc. On one vessel Iggy was zipping through nicking weapons and armour as Pain followed behind delivering vicious bites and scratches to the bewildered men, Sharpshot was covering them from a distance and was delivering accurate fireballs to any foe that came in range. The other three Terrors were being slightly less dramatic but no less effective, Sneaky was doing what he did best and was throwing the pirate's into confusion as Head and Butt capitalised on it to knock them out.

The ships were distracted from their assault of Berk to engage Snotlout's gang of dragons and none of them noticed Hookfang slip by far overhead and fly towards the Great Hall.

* * *

On the island Fredrick's group moved swiftly and silently through the forests that surrounded the village taking great pains to remain unnoticed.

Their mission depended in the element of surprise as they needed to gain control of the Great Hall before the Vikings of Berk realised what was going on. Fredrick was confident that once they reached it taking the hall would be easy, there may be a warrior or two left there to defend it but most would be dealing with the captain's attack. Once the hall and the children inside were theirs the fight would be over.

As they reached the village the sounds of battle reached their ears and they stopped when they saw the flashes of light on the ships from Snotlout's attack. One of the men spoke up, "Sir it looks like our ships are suffering severely. Should we go and assist them?"

Fredrick answered curtly, "No. The Captain will be able to deal with that. Our job is to seize the Great Hall once we have that we've won."

He and his men moved on towards their goal undetected and soon they were in front of the mighty doors. As expected the doors had been barred but careful examination through the central crack revealed that it was only held shut by a large wooden plank, enough to stand up to considerable battering but not immune to alternative means of opening. He silently signalled his men and directed one of them to insert his spear blade in the crack underneath the plank. More of his men took a hold of the spear haft and when he signalled once more they lifted the spear upwards, the blade lifted the plank out of its holders and it clattered to the floor leaving the door unlocked.

The way clear the pirates charged and slammed through the doors into the Great Hall.

* * *

Four dragons cleaved the air as they pressed on towards Berk.

Stoick's very…forceful questioning of the leader that attacked them had revealed everything they needed to know about Snotlout's escape and Captain SoarBlade's plan to conquer Berk. The chief had immediately got the dragons in the air and flying back home to deal with this new threat, as much as he wanted to go after Snotlout the village had to come first and the boy was now well beyond his reach. This fact was further confirmed by Gobber who'd said the reason he managed to swoop in to help them was because he'd lost track of the teen so he'd backtracked a bit to try and re-find the trail, that's when he saw them defending against the pirates so he freed the captured dragons and flew in to give them a hand. The dragons flew hard and they rapidly approached their home in the middle of Snotlout's attack on the ships.

At first all they could see were dark shapes and flashes of light but as they got closer they could identify what the shapes and light were and it wasn't long before Stoick recognised his nephew riding a very different dragon.

"Is that a Skrill!?"

Gobber's voice was filled with shock and awe but Stoick was far too focused on the fact that is nephew was there to care about what dragon he was on, there and in need of help. Torch had sensed his rider's needs and went straight in to engage the foe showering his flames upon the ships, Stormfly, Meatlug and Thornado were close behind and soon their own breath weapons were devastating the pirates below.

"UNCLE!?"

Distracted as he was by Stoick's arrival Snotlout's attention wavered from the fight and Hunterbolt was distracted with him, SoarBlade took the chance and lined up one of his ship's net launchers and fired.

Within moments Snotlout and Hunterbolt became ensnared and the Skrill tumbled from the sky and down onto the ship below.

* * *

As Fredrick burst into the Great Hall at the head of his men he screeched to a halt at what awaited them.

Toothless was still in the hall at Hiccup's side and the Night Fury had known the pirates were outside long before they opened the doors. He gave a ferocious roar before firing one of his plasma blasts directly at Fredrick, the pirate dived to one side just in time and the blast impacted the ground sending several of the other pirates flying but it wasn't just the dragon they needed to worry about. Astrid's grandmother had once been a formidable warrior and despite her long years her aggressive rage was still strong, the elderly lady was stood beside Toothless and after his initial attack she charged forwards faster than any old lady should be able to wielding her walking stick like a sword, "Get out of here you scrag-faced cowards!"

Pirates found themselves being belaboured with such a ferocity that they were unable to retaliate. Then the twin's mother joined the fray wielding a frying pan she got Thor knows where which give a satisfying bong every time it struck home.

"You're not getting anywhere near our children!"

BONG!

"Take this scumbags!"

BONG!

Toothless also flung himself into the melee striking out with wings, claws and tail and pirates soared through the air crashing into pillars and walls with heavy thumps. Other people in the hall hurled whatever they could at the enemy showering them with wooden bowls, plates, pestles and the occasional stool causing many to just call it quits and beat a hasty retreat from the onslaught.

Fredrick had removed himself from the fight after Toothless' initial shot and had stolen into the shadows of the hall. He was certain that he could potentially regain his advantage if he took one of the kids hostage and forced the enraged Berkians to stop their vicious defence. As he kept to the shadows he searched for a child that would most likely get them to stop if they were threatened and his eyes fell on Hiccup.

He had no idea who he was but he thought that the boy's weaker appearance would cause a greater protective response in the adults making them to do anything to keep him safe. He was also well away from the fight and near the shadows allowing Fredrick to reach him unnoticed and the man swiftly stole towards the boy. By now the fight was definitely in Berk's favour and most of Fredrick's men had been defeated or had fled so he knew he had little time. With the boy in reach he dived out of hiding and grabbed Hiccup, keeping a knife right against the unconscious boy's throat, and yelled out, "SURRENDER NOW OR THIS BOY DIES!"

The Berkians halted and turned in his direction and stopped when they saw Hiccup's precarious position, Fredrick pressed his blade closer to Hiccup's throat, "Do it now or I'll…"

THWOCK!

He never finished as Mrs Ingerman snuck up behind him and delivered him a hefty whack on the back of his head with the Book of Dragons and he collapsed in a heap with an unharmed Hiccup on top of him.

"Jerk!"

After her comment Mrs Ingerman turned and fixed the few remaining pirates with a glare and as one they dropped their weapons and surrendered.

* * *

 _ **PS-Go the mothers! The crises at the Great Hall is averted but what about Snotlout? Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	21. Blazing Victory

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and welcome to what is probably going to be the second-last chapter of this story. It's more action and fighting and even more of Snotlout being awesome which has cropped up a lot in this story. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Blazing Victory**

Hunterbolt landed hard on the ship's deck.

The Skrill had actually managed to orient himself so that he landed beneath Snotlout cushioning the boy from serious injury but the teen was still winded. Recovering he managed to pull out the knife Culloden had given him and he quickly began cutting the rope netting that had ensnared them. Pirates began closing in on them but a sonic blast from Thornado drove them back and the captain quickly ordered his men away, "Leave them and focus on the other dragons. That boy is mine!"

They swiftly obeyed and the captain strode towards Snotlout and Hunterbolt and the boy hacked away madly with his dagger. Stoick yelled in alarm from the back of Torch, "SNOTLOUT!"

He made to fly down to help his nephew but shots from the pirates and the net launchers kept him back. As he approached his helpless foe the captain spoke in amusement, "Snotlout is it? Well I am Captain SoarBlade and mine is the last name you'll ever hear." He smiled in anticipation, "I'm going to enjoy making you suffer boy. No one gets away with making me look like a fool."

Just in time the dagger cut through the ropes and Snotlout scrambled out from the netting and faced the captain holding his dagger ready. With his rider no longer right next to him Hunterbolt summoned down a bolt of lightning from the sky and incinerated the rest of the net and stood behind the teen. Snotlout patted the Skrill's snout, "Go get those launchers Hunterbolt, I can handle this."

The Skrill growled in concern but took to the air once more and renewed his attack on the ship's weapons, SoarBlade smirked, "You may regret sending your best weapon away boy. There's no way you can defeat me with just that dagger."

Snotlout didn't answer as he readied himself and SoarBlade did likewise. After a momentary pause SoarBlade lunged and the duel started.

Snotlout dodged the blade and swiftly struck out with his dagger nicking the captain's arm, the pirate grunted in pain but quickly swung his blade up forcing the teen to jump to the side. Another quick jab scored a hit on the back of the man's hand and SoarBlade snarled before countering with another swing, Snotlout barely avoided this one and received a gash up his arm. He let out a cry at that but managed to recover and he took a step back to increase the distance between them, the captain had also moved back and he held his sword ready as he gauged his opponent. He'd been surprised by the boy's skill but he was confident he could win, Snotlout for his part could tell the man was far better trained than he was and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. A roar from above attracted his attention and he saw Hunterbolt circling above, an idea came to him and he hoped the few vocal commands he'd taught the Skrill on the fast flight back would suffice. SoarBlade took advantage of his brief shift of focus and he moved swiftly forward, Snotlout saw him coming just in time and he smartly sidestepped the stab and dodged behind the captain and delivered him a swift cut down the back. The pirate roared in pain and anger and he viciously spun trying to take the teen's head off, Snotlout had long since moved back and he hopped backwards towards the ship's side yelling as he went, "HUNTERBOLT! STORM BLAST!"

The Skrill roared in response and dived towards the ship, SoarBlade didn't care and charged at Snotlout roaring in rage, "I'LL KILL YOU! YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Snotlout jumped onto the ship's side rail ready to leap off as Hunterbolt landed on the centre of the deck sending tremors throughout the ship, SoarBlade launched himself at Snotlout just as the Skrill gave a mighty roar and blasted a wave of lightning across the entire ship felling everything in its path. The energy surged across the deck decimating launchers, weapons and pirates creating a huge shockwave and a surge of flame on the lightning scorched deck.

Snotlout was actually in the middle of his leap into the ocean when the shockwave hit him flinging him far from the ship, he heard SoarBlade scream behind him as he was caught in Hunterbolt's lightning but it was quickly forgotten as he tumbled through the air. Snotlout spun wildly and he barely had time to see the ocean beneath him before he crashed into the darkened waters. He floundered beneath the waves not knowing which way the surface lay as he tried to reach it, suddenly a hand appeared and grabbed the back of his coat hauling him from the sea and gripping him firmly as he sucked in welcoming breaths of air. It eventually registered that he was on a dragon, or more specifically Meatlug, and he turned his head to see who it was that had rescued him. His mind slammed to a halt when he saw it was none other than Borik Ingerman the man who hated him the most on Berk and Snotlout gaped at him, "Wha..?"

The man smiled, "That new dragon of yours has really trashed that ship and those Terrors aren't that far behind."

Still slightly bewildered Snotlout looked at the ships below and saw that Hunterbolt had basically wrecked the captain's vessel and the others were well on the way with several fires burning away merrily upon them. Hunterbolt himself flew up alongside Meatlug and growled at Snotlout worriedly and the boy smiled at him, "I'm okay Hunterbolt."

The Skrill grunted in response apparently not fully convinced and he flew closer allowing Snotlout to jump to his back from Meatlug. They flew on and met up with the other three riders and Stoick called across joyfully from Torch's back, "Snotlout! You're safe!"

"You have a lot of explaining to do young man!" Gobber exclaimed from Thornado, "What possessed ye to go off on such a crazy quest!? I've been pounding after ye all over the northern waters! We've been caught in storms, flown till we've nearly dropped out of the sky and survived off nothing but fish and roots! Now here ye are back at Berk riding a Skrill of all dragons! Do ye have any idea how worried we all were about ye!?"

Stoick cut his friend off, "We can worry about that later Gobber. We need to get back to the village and see how it's holding up."

Snotlout began speaking excitedly even as they turned their flight towards Berk, "Uncle! Hookfang should be back at Berk by now and he's carrying something really important that could help everyone who's sick!"

Stoick stared at him in wonder before giving more instructions, "Then we'll head straight for the Great Hall!"

* * *

As they arrived they were met with the sight of several pirates being menaced by Barf and Belch under Mrs Hofferson's watchful eye, Hookfang was also there and he hurried over as Hunterbolt landed and Snotlout dismounted.

He quickly scratched his friend before checking on of the saddlebags and finding the contents unharmed. Gathered Vikings stared in awe at Hunterbolt as Stoick hurried to his nephew's side, "What do you have that might help them?"

Snotlout carefully pulled out one of the flowers and held it up to his uncle, "This is the Glacial Bloom. If the tales are right then boiling these in fresh water will make a medicine that can cure anything and Hookfang's saddlebags are full of them."

The chief took the flower reverently and he stared at his nephew in amazement, "You actually found it."

He pulled his nephew into a tight hug even as he fired out orders to the surrounding Vikings, "I want several warriors to see to any remaining pirates and those that can ride dragons get in the air to help them. The rest of you are to get as many buckets of fresh water as you can and get those saddlebags to Gothi. Snotlout has given us a chance to save our children!"

There were roars of approval from the Vikings and they all shot off to their tasks and soon Vikings were pulling off the flower filled bags as others practically sprinted into the Great Hall with full buckets of water. As the hopeful frenzy of activity happened around them Stoick continued to hold his nephew with the start of joyful tears in his eyes, "You came back safely with a cure for Hiccup and all the others."

Snotlout smiled up at his uncle, "I had to do something to help them uncle."

"I know lad." Stoick took off the boy's helmet and ruffled his hair, "I am so proud of you Snotlout. And I know you're parents would've been too."

Snotlout hugged him tighter, "Thank you uncle."

* * *

Away from Berk and beyond the burning remains of the pirate ships a lone row boat made slow progress in the opposite direction to the village. In it was the elderly man who was Captain SoarBlade's father and under several blankets and the man's own outer layers was SoarBlade himself.

The captain's father had searched for his son after he'd escaped the Skrill's devastating assault and had found the man barely conscious floating in the sea some distance from the ship with extensive injuries from the lightning. He'd done what he could but he had no choice but to take his son to an old friend of his who might be able to help the captain.

SoarBlade groaned in pain and the father softly chided the son, "Stay still son, we cannot risk aggravating the wounds further."

The son growled, "I'll make that boy pay for what he's done, I'll return and finish what I started. One day I'll take that boy and I'll make him suffer for every wound and insult he gave to me, he'll be screaming for death by the time I'm done with him!"

"Of course you will." The father answered, "I'll do everything I can to make sure that day comes but for now you need to rest. Those wounds will take some time to heal and for you to return to full strength. Until then remain patient and your chance for vengeance will come."

SoarBlade did as his father ordered but he muttered quietly to himself, "I'll recover from these wounds and then I'll be back to exact my vengeance upon you." He growled out the name.

"Snotlout!"

* * *

 _ **PS-Yes I have just given Snotlout an archenemy but seeing as Hiccup has about three or four I thought it was only fair to give Snotlout one too. Please let me know what you thought and I'll hopefully update soon.**_


	22. Painted End

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hello everyone and here is the last chapter of 'Glacial Bloom'. Thank you everyone for your support as I've written this, I've quite enjoyed writing it and I hope you've all enjoyed reading it.**_

 _ **I own nothing.**_

* * *

 **Painted End**

Hiccup felt exhausted and his memory was entirely unhelpful in telling him why. He dimly remembered an illness and being taken to the Great Hall and then something about Snotlout and a flower but he couldn't put the pieces together, everything was blurry and unfocused.

"Hiccup?"

A voice he dimly recognised pushed through his thoughts and his really sluggish mind finally told him it was Snotlout speaking but he couldn't work out why. He then realised that he should be able to open his eyes and with great effort he finally forced them to do so, light assaulted them and he screwed them shut again as Snotlout's voice sounded again.

"Hiccup!?"

His cousin sounded almost hopeful and Hiccup wondered what he was hopeful about, in an attempt to find out why he tried opening his eyes again slowly and when he did he saw a blurry shape above him. After another few moments the shape came into focus and revealed itself to be the face of his cousin, Snotlout grinned in what looked like relief and he exclaimed joyfully, "You've woken up!" the boy then looked over his shoulder and yelled excitedly, "UNCLE! HICCUP'S AWAKE!"

The was loud clattering like something being dropped and Hiccup barely had to time to wonder why him being awake was so exciting when the face of his father appeared next to Snotlout's. The man's face broke into a similar grin to his nephew's and he crouched down and clasped Hiccup's shoulder, "Thank Thor you made it!"

Hiccup was now thoroughly confused, what had he made and why was it so wonderful? He looked up at his father's joyful face in confusion, "What's so exciting about me being awake and what have I made?"

His cousin and father shared a look and then Snotlout smiled at him, "Just rest for a bit and we'll explain."

* * *

It took a while but thanks to the Glacial Bloom all the children of Berk began to wake up and begin the road to recovery, there was a tense, worrying period when the Glacial Bloom solution seemed to be having no effect on Gustav but he was eventually the last to wake up and Gothi refused to say just how close he'd been to being beyond saving.

Most of the kids' memories of having the illness were blurry and were confused by their parent's joyful reactions to them waking up the same way Hiccup had been and what had happened had to be explained several times. Despite its legendary reputation the Glacial Bloom was far from a quick cure and it was several days before any of the kids were strong enough to move about or do most things on their own so Stoick and the other adults were still very busy looking after them during that time.

Snotlout was the village hero and he spent one night telling the entire tale of his quest to the entire village as they gathered in the Great Hall to hear it, Even when he'd finished they still wanted him to retell bits of it and peppered him with questions about the Ice Wastes, the labyrinth and the hot springs beyond it. Fishlegs begged to hear more about Hunterbolt and in the end Snotlout got the Skrill to come into the hall and the older boy almost halved his recovery time in his eagerness to study the dragon. Astrid wanted to hear more about the fight with the wolves and the polar bear while Hiccup was more interested in the items Snotlout had been given by Culloden and the labyrinth and its creators' possible connections with dragons. The twins wanted every detail about the fight with the pirates, especially the bit where Hunterbolt obliterated the entire ship and they had to be told several times that the Skrill was not allowed to use his Storm Blast inside the Great Hall so they were not getting a demonstration.

Hookfang was just as popular and was showered with gifts of food from both Vikings and dragons, especially the Academy dragons. It seemed they were very much aware of what the Nightmare had done for their riders and they brought him so much fish that Snotlout was certain he'd be too fat to fly by the time he'd eaten it all. The Terrors received similar treatment and every Viking wanted to give them fuss and attention and the little dragons were almost convinced they'd died and gone to Terror Valhalla.

Eventually Stoick put a halt to the endless questions and requests for retellings declaring that Snotlout needed to rest and so did all the children and with a bit of disappointed grumbling the people of Berk agreed.

* * *

As days passed and Hiccup and the other children recovered Snotlout noticed Hunterbolt becoming restless and would often find the dragon staring up at the sky almost longingly. He was pretty sure what the Skrill wanted and he went to stand with the dragon one night as he stared up at the sky.

Hunterbolt looked at him and gave a small rumble and Snotlout petted his snout, "I think I know what you want, you want to head out on your own and explore don't you?"

The Skrill rumbled again and the teen smiled at him, "Then go for it. You don't have to hang around for my sake. I'll be fine here with Hookfang and all the others so if you want to explore then don't let us stop you."

The dragon growled mournfully and nuzzled him and Snotlout stepped forward and hugged him, "I'll miss you too Hunterbolt. Thank you for everything."

There was a different growl behind them and they both looked to see Hookfang, the Terrors and the Academy dragons standing there, Hookfang came over to Hunterbolt and the two friends briefly nuzzled each other. The Terrors came next and they chirped at the Skrill before flying up to give him a nuzzle each which the dragon returned. Finally Toothless stepped forward and rumbled at the Skrill who rumbled back.

With all the goodbyes complete Snotlout gave the dragon one last hug before stepping back, wiping tears from his eyes as he did so. Hunterbolt rumbled out one last farewell before giving a mighty roar and firing up into the clouds on a lightning bolt as Snotlout waved his friend off.

Snotlout hadn't realised that Stoick was also present and he'd seen the Skrill leave, he came up and put an arm around his nephew's shoulders, "You did the right thing Snotlout, I'm sure you'll see Hunterbolt again one day."

The boy smiled tearfully as he rested his head against his uncle's side, "Probably but I'll still miss him."

Stoick squeezed his shoulders, "I know lad, I know."

* * *

Eventually the kids were all well enough to be up and about again and although saddened by Hunterbolt going off on his own the Academy teens agreed that it was the right thing or as Fishlegs put it, "The Book of Dragons says that Skrills are usually solitary dragons so living on Berk with so many other dragons really wouldn't have suited him in the long run. I guess we'll just assume that we'll see him again one day when he wanders past in his travels."

With the children all now pretty much recovered Stoick decided that it was time for the village to celebrate the pirates defeat and Snotlout's successful retrieval of the Glacial Bloom that cured all the children. As the hero of both events Snotlout was given place of honour in the chief's chair at the celebrations and he found himself telling the tale of his quest all over again, it was already considered one of the great tales of Berk and Stoick had asked Bucket to paint a special portrait of Snotlout and all the dragons involved which was to be placed in Great Hall as a permanent reminder of their bravery. It was hung in the middle of the celebrations before the entire village on the wall dedicated to the deeds of some of Berk's greatest Vikings, right alongside one that had been painted to commemorate Hiccup ending the war with the dragons. Snotlout was continuously approached by Vikings all evening who wanted to pat him on the back, shake his hand, congratulate or thank him and he was given so much food that he had no idea what to do with it all, his uncle also had to step in at times to stop the Vikings from giving the teen mead because Hamish's underage drinking laws still applied even to heroes.

As the night wore on Snotlout grew more and more tired and eventually he found his eyes falling shut as he leaned back in the chief's chair, Stoick saw his nephew drifting off and he stole over and gently picked the boy up. Allowing the festivities to continue the chief carried his sleeping nephew out of the hall and back home to put him to bed.

In pride of place looking down on the partying Vikings was the Great Hall's newest addition. A full body painting of Snotlout flanked by Hookfang and Hunterbolt as the six Terrors flew around them, in Snotlout's upraised right hand was his walrus task dagger while the left held the very flower that had saved Berk's future.

The Glacial Bloom.

* * *

 _ **PS-All finished and I hope you all liked the ending. I'm still writing 'Family of Fire' but I've had an idea for another story in this verse so I may return to it soon. As such I'll say I'll see you later.**_


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